Fear the Unknown
by Tremainj
Summary: Having finally found his place in the new world, a man begins to ponder what happened to the rest of his kind. When a search turns up the name of a friend long-since dead, he embarks on a very strange journey, and rediscovers things that are perhaps best left forgotten. Sequel to "The Beast of Yesterday". Rated M for swearing, graphic violence, sexual content, and death.
1. Chapter 1

**Foreword: If you haven't read the prequel, I highly suggest it. You can probably get through this chapter, but a lot of the elements won't make any sense. You can find it under my works, since I can't link it here. New cover art courtesy of Bosstwin, thanks for that! In addition, the title is subject to change; this is the best I could come up with. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.**

 **However, if you don't want to deal with 300k words of novice writing, or if you want to brush up, I'm going to include a complete plot synopsis at the bottom of this chapter. There's also a character glossary at the bottom.**

* * *

 **Sahara Square  
Two Months Later  
Noon**

A leopardess was sitting along with an arctic wolf on a bench, just before the dunes; both in police uniform, they were panting from the heat. The officers were on their lunch break, but only the wolf found any will to eat, and even then it was in the form of lapping at a small block of plain ice on a stick, purchased from a street vendor.  
"It's hot as hell," the wolf piped up, hiding in the shade, which did little to help. "Say, Leora, how much do you think the city spends in heating every year?"  
"Too much," the leopardess responded, fanning herself with her paws.  
"I swear, Bogo sent us here, me especially, just because he enjoys seeing us roast."  
"Rufus, your conspiracy theories aren't anywhere near up to par."  
"Why do you think we're not on SWAT anymore?"  
"To keep us safe." Leora leaned back and closed her eyes. "But hey, I can't complain. Pay's still good."  
"Not that any of us need it," Rufus grumbled.  
"But you haven't quit yet."  
"What would my wife think if I just straight up quit? She still thinks it's strange that I got such a large bonus. She suspects I'm a thief."  
"Speaking of your wife, how come none of us have met her?"  
"You never go to Tundratown. She also doesn't go out much."  
"Sole moneymaker?"  
"No, my pup works a job at Pawson and Jace."  
"Whoa, hold up. Just how old are you that your pup works?"  
"Forty-five."  
"How young were you when you—"  
"Alright, unpaid internship. He's turning twenty in April. It'll be a real job soon enough."  
Leora stifled a laugh.  
"Oh yeah? What about your boyfriend?"  
"You mean Garrett?"  
"Rumor on the street is that he straight up ditched you."  
"He didn't ditch me, he went on a 'business trip'."  
"To where?"  
"Around the world."  
"Sounds like a vacation to me."  
"He's looking for more of his kind. If he made it, there's a decent chance more did, too."  
"Why didn't you come along?"  
"He said it would be cold. Of course, I reminded him that I work in Tundratown, but he promised it would be colder."  
"I could sure as hell go for some cold right now."  
"Speaking of cold, that ice pop looks pretty good."  
"It's flavorless."  
"Yeah, but it sure beats a hundred degree weather. I think I'm gonna go get one, too."

The leopardess stood and walked across the road to the vendor, fishing out several bucks from her wallet. As she waited in line, she heard Rufus call out to her.  
"Get me another one, please!" he shouted. She retrieved several bucks more.  
Before long, she made her purchase, and returned to her partner's side. As they sat, licking their treats, she saw a coyote double over and vomit.  
"Oh, great," Rufus remarked. "I just wanted half an hour—"  
"Come on, we have to help." She walked up to the heaving canine and bent over to look him in the eyes. "Everything alright?"  
He only breathed heavily in response. A crowd quickly began to form around her.  
"Alright, give us some room," she shouted, turning back to the coyote; the predator was now on all fours, growling. "Uh, Rufus?"  
"What's wrong?"  
"You brought your—"  
Before Leora could finish the sentiment, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She grabbed at it with her paw, before looking to see a smidgen of blue liquid on her pad. She immediately began to feel nauseous and weak.  
"Rufus!" she shouted, stumbling. "It's the shooter! Clear the area! Get me—"  
The coyote pounced, pinning her to the ground; Leora's partner socked her attacker in the jaw, before dragging her to cover. He quickly administered his Night Howler field antidote before radioing for backup.

Leora slowly got back up, carefully sticking to cover. Blue began staining the sand as more mammals fell ill. She quickly tranquilized anyone that was hit to remove the threat of a surprise attack. She slung one over her shoulder and took a second in her arms before making a break for safer ground. A pellet whizzed by her head, grazing her ear, before splashing onto the building beside her. She had heard the sniper's aim was good, but this was unreal.

She entered the first shop she could find, and dropped them both into chairs before running back out. She took another two mammals, running for the same shop. This time, a second pellet hit her in the arm. She fell over and felt a horrible pain growing in her stomach; she nearly passed out, but barely managed to jab herself with her own antidote.

Police cruisers began pulling up, but the officers couldn't run into the clock tower without risking themselves. Instead, they ran along cover to take the hostages from her and to safety. She waited for a gap in the shooting and once more made for the trapped victims. She continued to ferry them, carefully timing the shots. However, on the last mammal, he caught a third pellet in her neck. At this point, the pain in her abdomen was excruciating.

Despite having two vials of antidote flowing through her veins, she only felt more dizzy, and doubled over. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rufus run up to her, before dragging her to cover. Her consciousness slowly faded, and the world went black.

* * *

 **Siberia  
Three Days Later**

Kai trudged along the frozen tundra; the wind bit him in the face, while the snow made it impossible to see. He turned over his shoulder to see that his pilot had managed to land without crashing the jet. Regardless, he continued.

He stopped before a tall rock face, and sized it up and down. Satisfied, he walked along it until he came to a door.  
"Still here," he radioed.  
"Alright, want me to come with?" his pilot responded.  
"Nah, I'm not too hopeful about this one."  
Kai threw the vault-like door open, and entered. The inside was pitch black, and even he had a hard time seeing. The extreme cold provided nearly no infrared light for his eyes to catch, but also indicated that the heating had long-since died. Regardless, he turned on his flashlight and continued down.

The stairs weren't nearly as extensive as his own bunker; he knew for a long time that other shelters had nowhere near as much funding. Eventually, he reached the bottom. There was still no light, and although the temperature had dropped by another ten degrees, it felt warmer, as the howling winds could not reach that deep.

He searched the depths of the complex; the first room he entered appeared to be the original food store, although it had been picked clean. The next few rooms were nearly barren, and he guessed that they were once bedrooms, evidenced by four scuff marks where a bed would have been. He continued along the narrow corridor, checking every room, but still found nothing.

At the end of the hall, he entered a large room. In the center, he found an enormous pile of ash, along with several unburned articles of clothing and a few intact beds. Surrounding the pile, huddled and leaning on each other, were twenty somewhat rotten corpses. He inspected them; flat faces, thirty-two teeth in most of them. Humans. Among them, two children; one of them was firmly clutching a rather torn teddy bear. He shook his head in sadness, before sitting down. Given the extreme cold and their very minimal decay, he estimated that he was six hundred years too late.

He slammed his fist into the ground, shattering a ceramic tile. Despite the fact that there was nothing that could be done, he felt a sense of shame and disgrace. Their predicament indirectly stemmed from his actions, and he felt responsible for their downfall as well. He arranged them in a single row and draped the last of the unburned sheets over them, giving a moment of silence as he looked to the ground.

Eventually, he began scouring the bunker for anything. He perused the last scraps in several nearly empty rooms before finding a console. It was unpowered, but a small module lay atop the keyboard, along with a written note:  
 _This is the logbook for the past thousand some-odd years. I already know that we aren't going to make it, but I can't have the others lose hope. I suppose we'll burn the furniture to cook the last of our rations. Perhaps I should have left when that visitor offered, but it's to late for that, now. There's not enough food, either way. As for the log, I couldn't export it without encrypting it, so I left the cipher on the backside of this note._  
Kai thought it was suspicious that the bunker would have visitors, but nonetheless pocketed the module, continuing his search. Finding nothing else of value, he returned to the surface and called his pilot.  
"Not this one either, although I did find a logbook."  
"What's it say?"  
"It's encrypted, I'll have to decode it back home. Could be promising, though. Mentions visitors."  
"Alright. How many more places do you want to check?"  
"There are still forty or so bunkers left."  
"Alright, you know where the jet is."  
He hung up and returned to the plane. The rear door opened to reveal a young tiger in a flight suit.  
"Ready, sir?"  
"No, I want to sit in this frozen wasteland for a few more hours," he responded sarcastically.  
"You do realize I'm only here because I want to be."  
Kai sighed, entering and closing the door.  
"Forgive me. We've already checked out around eighty percent of the places that humans could be, and so far, absolutely nothing."  
"Lighten up. I'm sure if you made it, at least a hundred more could have."  
" _Could have_ is the key word. Let's go touch down in Mongolia."  
"Right away."

The multimillion dollar VTOL jet and its pilot were a gift from Arcturus; once Kai announced his 'business trip' to find if any more humans survived, the entire Court stumbled over itself to assist him. Granted, finding more humans was a very long shot, but if there was a chance, he had to take it. He knew where the bunkers were, but not whether any of their inhabitants had made it. Although he wanted to take Leora with him, the regions were much too remote and barren, often dragging through the freezing wastelands of the North.

Kai looked out the window, and saw the spotted lakes of Northeastern Russia. As most things, the spots reminded him of Leora; he hadn't seen her in nearly a month. It took a lot of convincing for her to stay behind. More deception than convincing, as he practically left without her while Sirius had her distracted. She called every night save for the last three, but he felt she still hadn't forgiven him for his trickery. He found it strange that she stopped calling so suddenly; something was off.

He pulled his phone out and dialed her. It rang six times before going to her voicemail. He dialed again; this time, it was answered after four rings, by a male with a scratchy voice.  
"Sorry, the patient isn't with their phone."  
"Patient?" Kai inquired. "What happened?"  
"I can't say, I only work in deposition. You know, you're lucky I was passing by, usually this stuff is—"  
"What hospital?"  
"Zootopia University Hospital."  
Kai hung up without another word, dialing Sirius instead.  
"Yeah?" Sirius spoke.  
"How is my favorite wolf?"  
"Favorite? Really?"  
"Yeah, it might not stay that way unless you tell me why Leora's in the hospital."  
Sirius was quiet for a very long time.  
"The Court asked me not to tell you."  
"And you listened to them?"  
"Look, we have a big problem. There's a serial killer, calls herself the 'Night Howler Killer'."  
"Herself?"  
"She's a doe. Is that bad?"  
"Nearly all serial killers are male. It's highly unusual."  
"Well, Leora and this shooter just so happened to be in the same place at the same time."  
"If Leora's cut up, I don't even know what I'll do."  
"No, nothing like that; no, this killer uses a pellet rifle. Very concentrated Night Howler toxin."  
"How concentrated?"  
"Well, a hundred and seventy are dead, if it's any indication."  
"You managed to dodge the question."  
"Alright, it makes mammals drop. They bite if anyone comes close, but other than that, they can't move."  
"And the treatment?"  
"Other than the regular anti-toxin, none."  
"And Leora—"  
"I don't know. All I know is that she was hit while trying to evacuate the area."  
"God forbid she suffered permanent damage."  
"I hope not. Listen, I need to go, we still have to catch this killer."  
"You mean the Court didn't hire her to begin with?"  
"No."  
"I guess I'll have to sort this mess out."  
"You're… coming back?"  
"Yes. Oh, and one last request?"  
"I'm listening."  
"Don't tell anyone that I'm on my way."  
"I—"  
Kai hung up again, before walking to his pilot.  
"Change of plans," he spoke. "Take us back to Zootopia."  
"Sir?"  
"Pressing matters call my attention."  
"Only if you say so. ETA four and a half hours."  
"This is a supersonic jet, easily mach three."  
"There are laws governing air speed."  
"If the standard avoidance procedure on this jet is to speed up and outrun the missiles, I'm sure no one can stop us. Be there in two hours."  
"… Yes, sir."

* * *

 **Zootopia  
University Hospital  
Three Hours Later**

Kai entered the room given to him by the front desk; inside, he found Rufus sitting in a chair by Leora's bed. His arms were bandaged, but aside from a few pads of gauze, he seemed alright. She was asleep, and had dozens of tubes and wires connected to her.  
"Rufus, what a pleasant surprise."  
"Ah, if it isn't our mutual friend. You look different."  
"I change the disguise regularly. What are you doing here?"  
"I haven't spoken to her since she went out," Rufus responded, eyeing him suspiciously. "Where have you been?"  
"She must have told you. Traveling the most barren corners of creation."  
"What?"  
"Looking for more of my kind. How is she?" He pointed to Leora.  
"Alive, barely. She's a hero."  
"She always was one."  
"No, you misunderstand me. Pellets sailing through the air, sand stained blue, and yet she still runs back and forth to evacuate civilians. Took three shots before she was downed." Rufus produced a smirk and a sad chuckle. "Granted, she had two shots of the anti-toxin, but still. You know, she took a sizable chunk out of my arms when I tried to drag her away."  
"What's the outlook?"  
The wolf stared at him momentarily before closing his eyes and shaking his head.  
"They say she needs a new liver, and even I know that leopard livers are far and few."  
"You should go home. There's not much you can do for her."  
"I have a few words that I want to say to her."  
"And you can say them tomorrow, when she's all better. Do me a favor and fetch a doctor on your way out."  
"You're not gonna… Prance her, are you?"  
"No, nothing like that."  
Rufus stood slowly and left. Several minutes later, a leopard in a white uniform stepped in.  
"Hello, I'm Doctor Hu. You asked to speak with me?"  
"What's the prognosis?"  
"We put her on the transplant list, but it's a long list."  
"How long can she go without one?"  
"Well, liver dialysis can keep her alive for several months while she waits."  
"You don't have to lie to me."  
"I… A week, perhaps."  
Kai scoffed.  
"Some anti-toxin."  
"It only enables the liver to clear out the Night Howlers, it doesn't do much on its own. Seeing how her liver is shutting down…"  
"How long is the transplant list?"  
"Three hundred, give or take, but she's at the bottom, and there are practically no feline livers to go around."  
"Would another liver do?"  
"That's—no, they're practically incompatible."  
"Tell me the specifics of a leopardess' liver."  
"Well, the liver clears out—"  
"I know what a liver is, tell me about hers. Input and output volumes per minute, what vessels lead to it, and so on."  
"I wouldn't have that information on paw, but most larger feline livers can process about a liter and a half per minute. The veins and arteries are pretty standard between most mammals. Why do you ask?"  
"How fast can you prep an operating room?"  
"What for?"  
"I can get her a liver."  
"Wolf livers are incompatible with—"  
"I know that. No, a proper liver. All you have to do is make sure that there's a supply of renal painkillers, like Rofecoxib."  
"Rofecoxib was pulled from the market years ago due to the risk of heart attack; you don't use drugs, do you?"  
"No; I can save her."  
"I can't consent to black market organs."  
"I'm sure you read medical journals. Let me know if this sounds familiar: antelope, twenty-three, hypothermia; spent an hour in a river in Tundratown, but he made a miraculous recovery; minor nerve damage in his leg, but otherwise alright?"  
The doctor began to snap his fingers.  
"In… Insa, was it?"  
"Prance Insa, yes. That was my doing."  
"What proof do I have of that?"  
"I can give every detail of the procedure, but I don't want to bore you. If you can get her into an operating room, I'll do the surgery myself."  
The doctor stared blankly at the floor, deep in thought.  
"You can take the credit as her attending," Kai offered.  
"It would be unethical for me to allow the surgery at all."  
"And I'm sure ethics are your biggest concern."  
"Are you insinuating something?"  
"How about this." Kai fished in his coat and threw a stack of bills onto the nearby table. "A hundred thousand in unmarked, non-sequential bills."  
"I should call the police."  
"But you won't. A hundred thousand is a lot of money, and the fame of performing the impossible transplant is far too much to pass up."  
The doctor deliberated.  
"Two hundred thousand."  
Kai withdrew another stack of bills and tossed them to the doctor.  
"I'm glad we could do business. Get that room prepped, I'll be back in twenty minutes."

* * *

 **Two Hours Later**

Leora opened her eyes. She felt a horrible pain in her abdomen, as well as in her head.  
"How are you holding up?" she heard from behind her.  
"Not well," she muttered, clutching at her temples.  
"I have good news and bad news."  
"Can't be as bad as liver failure," she quipped.  
"The good news is that you won't be poisoned again."  
"I already knew that. Garrett, is that you?" She turned to face him. "Why didn't you say you were here?"  
"The bad news is also that you won't be poisoned again."  
"Cryptic as usual. Come on, give me a hug." She pulled him close. "Now, what did you mean by that?"  
"Nearly every medication, alcohol, narcotics, and most organic compounds are processed by the liver. You just got a new one. A very good one."  
"You donated?"  
"Yes and no. It's not my liver, but it's nearly identical. I should offer my congratulations, you're the first non-human mammal recipient of an artificial liver, ever."  
"Lucky me."  
"Anyways, I imagine you're in a lot of pain right now. I had them give you a medication called Rofecoxib because it's processed by the kidneys."  
"I assume I can't have any medications processed by the liver because of the transplant?"  
"No, they just won't work. Watch."  
Kai took one of two needles from the table and put it through her IV line. She felt a brief sense of lethargy which subsided after a couple of minutes.  
"What was that?"  
"Ten milligrams of sodium cyanide."  
"Why would you poison me?"  
"Just to prove a point. You're un-poisonable."  
"Is that a bad thing?"  
"Well…"  
He took the second needle and injected its contents as well. This one induced a sense of relief, which also quickly subsided.  
"And that one?"  
"Morphine."  
"The painkiller?"  
"Yep. That's why we have you on the other med, since anything that goes through your liver will do so very fast."  
"So alcohol…"  
"You'll win any drinking contest." He pondered for a moment. "Well, maybe not against me."  
She smiled, before leaning back.  
"Wanna lie down with me? I could go for some cuddling."  
"I'm not sure that bed can support the both of us."  
"I'm sure if these beds can carry obese elephants they can carry the both of us, too." She began pulling down on his arm. "Come on, they say cuddling is the best medicine."  
"I'm pretty sure it's laughter." He sat on the edge of the bed, before lying down alongside her a minute later.  
"Didn't break yet."  
"You're awfully cheerful for someone that just went through surgery with only mild painkillers."  
"My jaw hurts more than my abdomen."  
"Well, you did bite the hell out of Rufus' arms."  
"I thought that was a dream."  
"Nope; he was here, told me all about it. I had him leave so I could bribe the doctor to let me do the surgery."  
"What the cops don't know won't hurt them, eh?"  
"Something like that."  
She turned over and clung to him.  
"So, any news on the serial killer?"  
"Still at large."  
"Damn, I thought for sure we had her." She sighed, wincing. "What were you up to on your trip?"  
"I checked a lot of bunkers. Anything on the maps that I had."  
"I take it that you didn't find anything?"  
"A lot of bones, but I did get a logbook. It might be an interesting read, at the least."  
"What'll it tell you?"  
"Births, deaths, food stores, any possible visitors."  
"Visitors?"  
"The text on the note was a little strange in that regard. I'll have to decode the log if I want to learn any more."  
There was a peaceful silence as he stared at the ceiling fan.  
"I hope you didn't forget that Chief Bogo still owes me a month of paid vacation time."  
"I'll see if he can stretch it to three."  
"I doubt he'll give it, even to you."  
"I have been known to be very persuasive."  
She nuzzled up to him a little closer.  
"So, what are you planning?" she asked.  
"For starters, I promised to take you to Tokyo. After that, I guess we'll see."  
"I really enjoyed the mountains."  
"You weren't cold?"  
"Freezing, but now that you made me a good pair of winter boots, I think I'll be a little better."  
"I'll start planning a route."  
"Oh, and if there are any more hideouts along the way, could we stop by?"  
"I don't see why not. Why, though?"  
"I wanna be a part of history. I'm sure we'll find at least one survivor."  
"Except we can never tell, even if we do find anyone."  
"All that matters is that I know." She clutched at her abdomen, shifting uncomfortably. "Any chance you can get me a drip of morphine?"  
"I'll see what I can do."  
He stood and went to the door, but it was opened before he could reach the handle. He nearly ran into a doe, staring at a clipboard and muttering obscenities.  
"The _one patient_ I ordered not to have surgery, and…" The doe looked up. "Can I help you?"  
"Oh look, a doe. Leora this wouldn't happen to be—"  
"Can I _help_ you?" the doe reiterated, annoyed.  
"Patient requests a morphine drip."  
"Absolutely not. You're not a doctor, and she's suffering liver failure. Please leave before I call security."  
"Technically, you're not a medical doctor either."  
She pointed to her badge.  
"Well, I'll be damned," he continued. "They let the university regent practice medicine in her own hospital."  
"I have a medical degree. I'm calling security."  
"You know, it's almost nine. I'm pretty sure you have somewhere to be, Rigel."  
The blood slowly drained from her face.  
"I'm not headlights," he remarked. "You can stop staring."  
She shook her head.  
"No. Why are you here?"  
He held the door open.  
"Get a morphine drip, and come on in. Don't make any phone calls."  
"Or what?"  
"The good Leora is in pain; please, fetch the morphine. A thousand milligrams on an IV drip."  
"A thousand? What, is she an addict that doesn't need a liver?"  
"What do you think she was in surgery for?"  
"Leonard didn't say."  
"Artificial liver. Get her the morphine."  
Rigel rolled her eyes, but left. She returned with an IV bag and attached it to Leora's line.  
"Why are you here?" she asked.  
"She hasn't answered her phone for three days. I had to call Sirius for an explanation."  
"Any results from your trip?"  
"Only a lot of corpses. Of course, I still have a few places to check out. Maybe I'll grab Leora this time. I clearly can't trust you with her well-being."  
"Which reminds me, why didn't you let me come along the first time?" Leora inquired.  
"I know you hate hiking, the cold, and hiking in the cold. The average temperature was forty below. Hundred meter drops, snowstorms… I wanted to make sure you were safe."  
She shrugged.  
"What's life without living a little, right?"  
"I suppose there are only a couple more arctic bases. After that, it's mostly temperate."  
"You also still owe me a trip to Edo."  
"Alright. First, you have to get better, and I have to help these idiots get rid of their problem." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder to Rigel. "Anyways, Rigel, have someone monitor her. Replace the morphine whenever it runs dry. Let's go have ourselves a meeting."  
"Actually," Leora muttered, sitting up. "Can I come along, too?"  
"No," Rigel scolded. "Bed rest."  
"Now now, she wants to come along," Kai began. "Liver failure was the only problem, right?"  
Rigel checked the chart.  
"Yes. Why?"  
"No unbroken bones that I need to worry about?"  
"We didn't check, but we highly doubt there would be any."  
"Great." He withdrew a red vial. "And I started to think that I packed this for no reason."  
"You were hiding that, and you hadn't used it yet? You just love ruining my day, don't you?" Rigel accused. "Now I have to deal with looking like an idiot in front everyone."  
"Hey, she didn't ask until now. Besides, you can take the credit; I don't care. Get us a car, and don't tell anyone; I enjoy fun surprises."

* * *

 **Court Lodge**

Kai walked up the hill, holding Leora's arm. She was given a cane until the pain improved, and was supporting the majority of her weight on it.  
"You really love a dramatic entrance, huh?" she asked, stopping to rest. He picked her up and carried her up the hill in his arms.  
"I would hardly call this dramatic."  
They reached the entrance; inside, Rigel was conversing with the concierge. They both paused to stare at him as he walked past, but otherwise didn't react. He threw open the second set of doors and entered the chambers.  
"Well, well, well!" he shouted, proudly marching down the steps.  
"Who are you?" someone inquired, getting in his way.  
"You can't be here," someone else insisted, stopping him.  
"Oh, calm yourselves, Aldebaran, Fomalhaut. I'm here on business." He carefully pushed them out of the way and proceeded to the stage. On the way down, he pulled a chair to the statue of Atlas, and sat Leora down. All eyes were on him. "Now, down to business. I understand you have a problem with a serial killer."  
He stood and began slowly walking circles around the stage.  
"When did this shooter first appear?"  
No answer.  
"Come on, I'm sure someone knows the answer."  
Still no answer.  
"Well, let's start with what we know. A doe with good sharpshooting skills takes down a hundred and seventy and can't get caught. Why?"  
"Who is this, why do we have to put up with him?!" someone shouted angrily.  
"No one spoil it," Kai spoke. "It makes it more fun for me that way. Sirius, my favorite wolf, care to give me my answers?"  
"Every time someone gets up to her sniping nest," Sirius piped up, chuckling, "They find a rifle on a mechanically controlled tripod."  
"So if you've confiscated six or seven rifles, and no one ever sees her, how do they know it's a doe?"  
"Someone saw her fleeing the scene of the shooting several minutes before any actual shooting started; exact same room and everything."  
"One sighting from an idiot and you think you know her identity?"  
"I was the one who sighted her," someone yelled from the crowd.  
"Exactly, an idiot. Now, has there been any pattern to the shootings?"  
"No," Sirius responded, cutting off the insulted, angry mammal. "None that we can see."  
"Get me a map of the city, and mark off every building that the killer shot from in order. If the buildings are conventionally numbered in any way, get me a list. Alphabetical, order of construction, the whole lot. I'll be in my room."  
He helped Leora up, and walked out.  
"So, that wasn't dramatic? Why not tell them who you are, I'm sure it'll expedite the process."  
"It's much, much more fun this way."  
He rounded the corner and went up the stairs.  
"You have a room here?"  
"Of course." He reached the second door, before swiftly picking the lock and tossing the door open. The inside of the room was overturned. "Ah, just like I left it."  
He laid her on the bed, before going about cleaning.  
"You left it like this?"  
"Technically, no. I'm fairly certain they searched it for anything they could find when Jack tried to kill me." Satisfied with the state of the room, he also jumped on the bed. "In any case, I reckon we have half an hour until I get what I asked for. How are you feeling?"  
"I'm fine, but what's the plan to nab the shooter?"  
"We'll just find the next location, and we'll wait for her to show up."  
"How can you possibly know that?"  
"Well, the rifle setup means she's either very knowledgeable, or that she has a big sponsor. There's a pattern, we just don't see it yet."  
"Sponsor?"  
"Something tells me that someone in the Court is lying about their position in the matter."  
"What makes you say that?"  
"No one is this successful at mass murder, spitting in the face of this many mammals that collectively own the city."  
"You did just fine."  
"I'm special."  
She rolled her eyes and pulled him down, hugging him tightly.  
"You said we had half an hour?"  
"You should still get some rest. That is, if you want to leave for Edo."  
"Oh, you."  
There was a knock on the door.  
"At least you guys knock," Kai shouted. "Who is it?"  
"Your 'favorite wolf' and guest," he heard from beyond the door.  
Kai opened the door and let Sirius and Grace in.  
"Here's the list and the map." Sirius handed the documents over. "Did you lose the eyepatch?"  
"No, it's just invisible."  
"Really?"  
"Of course not." Kai Looked over the map, and then the list. "An odd ordering."  
"What is?" Sirius asked, leaning in.  
"One of these lists has buildings by birth year of architect, and then by last name, and then first name."  
"Who the hell orders by that?"  
"Who gave you this list?"  
"Alioth, why?"  
"Keep an eye on him until I nab the killer; very suspicious." He took another look at documents. "She'll hit Rainbow Falls in Rainforest District."  
"How can you tell?"  
"The buildings she already hit, ordered by the aforementioned list, all point to a default Mersenne sequence. Modulo the number of buildings in the city, and skipping the purely residential sectors, the random seed is two thousand and ten."  
"How the fuck did you find that out?"  
"I'm trained to see patterns. Like a monkey. Or someone who's trained to see patterns. Either way, I know where she'll be next, so all I have to do is show up."  
"Do you know when?"  
"Well, presumably sometime in the future."  
"So you'll just sit and wait for however long it takes?"  
"Something like that, yeah, but you won't have the luxury of sitting still. Get me a list of every doe in the city, breeding age plus eight, with an annual income less than sixty thousand a year."  
"Why?"  
"A suspicion. We suspect she's a doe; two thousand and ten must be an important date, perhaps the birth of a child. Granted, I could be wrong, but this is the most likely pattern through the killing. Can you get me the list?"  
"Yeah, sure. Now, before you go running off to save the city again, do you think you could… You know…" He smiled and leaned his head forward, ever so slightly.  
"I'll one up that." Kai went rummaging through the desk. "Now, I thought I saw… Ah, here it is."  
He retrieved a nearly empty jar of peanut butter and threw it to Sirius.  
"What's this?"  
"A gift."  
"Yeah, but what is it?"  
"If you could read labels, you would know that it's peanut butter."  
"And?"  
"Authentic human peanut butter."  
Sirius eyed the jar crazily, threw the lid off, and began licking the delicious substance from the walls.  
"What happened to the rest of it?" Sirius inquired, between laps.  
"What do people usually do with food? Anyways, want me to get you another jar?"  
"I'd love one." He began licking the peanut butter off of the bottom. When he pulled away for a breath, Kai grabbed the end of the wolf's tongue and pulled down; Sirius struggled momentarily, before eventually giving up and sitting still.  
"Pace yourself, you're slobbering all over my floor." He paused momentarily, narrowing his brow. "Since when is your tongue this long?"  
"Why would it not be? I'm a normal wolf," he responded, nearly incomprehensibly.  
"Yeah, but when you ate jerky from my hand and licked it clean…"  
Grace and Leora slowly stared to Sirius, who produced an embarrassed grin, tongue still held out.  
"I must say," Kai continued, letting go of the wolf's tongue. "Grace is a lucky gal."  
Everyone laughed except for Sirius.  
"Why's that?" he inquired.  
They stared at him again.  
"Ask her sometime," Leora piped up, dragging Kai out. "You have your leads, wanna go?"  
"Hold the phone. You're staying right here."  
"Aw, come on! Why?"  
"You just had surgery not six hours ago. In any case, this is a job for a sniper."  
"You're getting Neal?"  
"Of course. Inform Regulus that I'll be borrowing him. Also, keep an eye on Alioth."  
"Who, and who?"  
"Sirius should be able to show you. Regulus is the black vixen, and I think Alioth was a rodent of some kind. A vole, maybe. Recently inducted, for sure."  
"So what do you want me to do?"  
"Make sure he doesn't disappear." Kai gave a half-hearted salute and nearly left, but stopped in his tracks. He withdrew a small PDA and gave it to Leora.  
"What's this?"  
"If the log gets decrypted before I get back, it might be good reading."

* * *

 **Tundratown  
9 AM**

Neal was drinking coffee and reading the paper when he heard a knock on the door. He stood, finished his coffee, and opened the door.  
"Neal, how do you do?" inquired the white wolf who stood there.  
"I'm sorry, I'm drawing a blank here."  
"It's Garrett; I changed the look again. I have a job for you."  
"A job, this should be good." Neal rubbed his paws together excitedly. "What kind?"  
Kai retrieved a silenced sniper rifle from under his coat and assembled it, handing it to the fox.  
"I need a sniper."  
"I…" Neal held the rifle carefully. "I haven't done this in months."  
"I thought you went back to do police work."  
"Mostly paperwork. They wouldn't even dream of letting me near one of these things."  
"Why not?"  
"They're suspicious I'll go crazy and shoot someone, or that I won't be able to make my shots after the coma I was in. The story changes every week."  
"You're the best sniper they've got, they can't afford to lose you."  
"Messiest writer, too. Not that it makes a difference. Statistically speaking, tigers make better cops in every regard."  
"Maybe after this, I'll put in a good word with Bogo."  
"Well, paperwork is easy, and I still get SWAT pay."  
"But you don't enjoy it, do you?"  
Neal didn't answer, instead walking back to the kitchen to pour himself more coffee.  
"Sometimes, it isn't about me. It's what the city needs."  
"You could hit an owl from five miles with a railgun, who else has that under their belt?"  
Neal smirked, staring at his coffee.  
"It wasn't an owl."  
"Your distance from dead center was no larger than one."  
"It was a lucky shot."  
"You humble yourself far too much. Your skill is the reason I'm asking. Were it not for you, I would have borrowed a military sniper instead."  
"Military? I'm sure SWAT has a few that would be up for the challenge." He paused for a minute. "What is this challenge, exactly?"  
"We, my friend, are going to catch a serial killer."  
"Bogo's already tried. I would know, I had to fill out the paperwork."  
"Bogo doesn't know that she'll strike in Rainforest District next."  
"How do you know?"  
"I analyzed the pattern of her shootings. I don't know when, but I know exactly where. Rainbow Falls Observatory Deck."  
"It hasn't had any public entry for almost a decade."  
"Are you up for it? There's a million bucks if you say yes."  
"A million?" He looked over the rifle again. "What's the chance that I'll get hurt?"  
"Basically none. Come on, if we're fast enough, we might catch her before she gets there."  
"Alright, give me a second to change. Hold this." He handed the rifle, before going into the other room.  
Kai waited in the doorway; very shortly after, Neal returned, wearing a shorts and a tee-shirt.  
"You're dressed for the part, but where are you going to keep the rifle?"  
"Oh, right. Can you hold on to it?"  
Kai rolled his eyes.  
"Let's go."  
He exited and the fox followed. They exited into the frigid air, with bearing for Rainforest District.  
"Aren't you cold?" Kai inquired.  
"Not particularly. Why?"  
"Only if you say so."

They took the train two stops over, before reaching a large lake at the base of a waterfall. At the top, a tower overlooked the surrounding scenery. A spray of mist and a rainbow obscured the base of the building. They walked around to the road leading up the observatory. There was a barricade, and a sign that read 'No Entry' blocking the path.  
"Now what?" Neal inquired.  
"We go in, of course." Kai lifted Neal over the barricade, and himself hopped over. Once they were out of sight, he gave the fox the rifle and an earpiece. "Now, pick a vantage point. I doubt you'll need to shoot, but there's always a chance."  
"What's the plan?"  
"I'll wait for her to show up. Have a little chat. If she tries to leave before I give the okay, take the shot."  
"You do realize this is a real rifle, right?"  
"Yes, and this doe has killed over a hundred and eighty. Man up."  
"I take it that means 'just do it'?"  
"Yep. Go on, find your hiding place."  
The fox began scaling the wall adjacent, before disappearing into the foliage.  
"Mic check," he radioed.  
"Heard," Kai responded.  
"Roger."  
Kai entered the observatory and climbed the stairs to the top floor. He reached a table near the balcony, and pulled a box of blueberries from his pack, setting them down. He kicked his legs up onto the table, leaned back, and waited.

Nearly three hours later, just past noon, his radio buzzed to life.  
"Doe on approach, appears middle-aged, carrying several bags."  
"That's her. Let her come up."  
Kai withdrew his phone and placed a phone call.  
"Sirius, I need you to relay to the rest of the Court that I have the shooter. She is under my custody. Have everyone else call off their efforts."  
"Are you gonna kill her?" Sirius responded.  
"No, we'll just talk. I'll even let her go."  
"Sounds like a plan. I'll tell everyone else, then."  
He hung up and waited. Another ten minutes passed before the stairwell door opened. The doe made it several steps in, set the bags on a table, and began unpacking, paying him no mind. She withdrew a pellet rifle and loaded it, before finally looking up. She panicked and shot at him, falling on the floor.  
"Well, that was rude," he spoke, wiping the blue stain from his neck.  
"How are you not…"  
"I'm immune. However, your little stunt clears any suspicions as to your identity."  
She immediately scrambled for the door.  
"Neal, shoot the door," Kai radioed. Not a moment later, the center of the door splintered. The doe screamed and fell back to the floor. "Now, I have no interest in killing you. I merely want to talk. Come, sit. I brought blueberries."  
She looked up to see him tossing a berry in his mouth. She stood and slowly walked, eyeing him, before taking a seat at the table.  
"Let's see… How about we start with introductions? I am Kai."  
The doe was reluctant to answer.  
"I already know your name, I was just being polite. What would you like to be called?"  
"Ida is fine."  
"Alright, Ida. You're thirty-five years old, sixty thousand bucks a year as a nurse… but you still do this. It's obvious from your reaction when you saw me that you aren't mentally ill, so I'd guess that someone is paying you. Perhaps you needed the money to take care of your fawn. Eight years old, was it?"  
"You don't know me."  
"I wasn't wrong, was I? Someone is paying you to do this. Who?"  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
"Tell me."  
"And if I don't?" She eyed the balcony.  
"You could jump the balcony, but you'd splatter on the rocks below. That's a rough fall, even I might have a hard time landing it. You could make for the door, but my sniper will put a hole through you before you made it halfway." He stood and began pacing around her. "Besides, I have an incentive for you."  
He pulled two vials from his pack and set them on the table.  
"And these are?"  
"According to the medical charts, your fawn has late-stage lung cancer. Inoperable. Thankfully, I already made one of these for lung cancer. The only difference is that it was for a raccoon."  
"You're rambling. Get to the point."  
"You're a nurse, Ida. You can appreciate that this is a virus, designed specifically to target lung cancer. It will eat away at the cancerous cells, leaving the healthy ones. In principle, that is. I'm no bio-molecular geneticist, so it won't stop on its own. That's what the second vial is for."  
"So you mean—"  
"This is a cure for your son. A couple rounds of chemo, maybe some radiation, and he'll be healthy as a horse." Ida reached for it, and he pulled the vials out of her reach. "It can be all yours, if you answer my questions."  
"How do I know you're not lying?"  
"For starters, I never lie. Second, I'm not calling the police."  
"Who are you?"  
"Call me a private investigator, if you will. Now, who is paying you?"  
"Sam L. Warmer."  
"The proprietor of ZNN?"  
"That's the one. He never told me why, but I suspected he just wanted the money that the news stories would generate."  
"Where and when did you make the agreement?"  
"He had his son visit me in my fawn's hospital room. He invited me in to speak with his father regarding an offer I couldn't refuse. When I showed up, his secretary told me that he had to cancel, but his son offered to talk in his stead."  
"Have you ever talked with him?"  
"No, never face to face. Only over phone. I guess he was just covering his ass."  
"I see. What were the terms of this agreement?"  
"He would provide equipment and the location, and I would set it up."  
"So that's why he always miraculously has cameras pointing in the right direction."  
"Speaking of which, how did you know I would come here, if you didn't know Mr. Warmer? He assured me that these sites were random, absolutely untraceable."  
"Pseudorandom. It's called a Mersenne Twister. Nigh untraceable, but I know how to calculate the sequence." Kai sat back down and ate another blueberry. "Help yourself, by the way."  
Ida ate a couple, but sat still.  
"So, you remotely controlled the rifle. How did you pick targets?"  
"I didn't control it at all, someone else did."  
"Who?"  
"I'd assume he did."  
Kai closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.  
"Very well, you're free to go." He tossed her the vials. "They're labeled. Administer vial two an hour and a half after vial one. Monitor him."

She nodded, smiling, before heading for the exit. Just as she grabbed at the handle, a gunshot rang through the trees; the bullet tore through her back, and she collapsed.  
"Neal!" Kai shouted through the intercom.  
"That wasn't me! You gave me a silenced rifle!"  
"There's another sniper. Find him." He quickly ran and pulled the doe into cover, before putting his mask on, and running back to the balcony. He scanned the ridge, before turning to look down at the crowd at the bottom of the falls. Nearly everyone was running around in panic from the gunshot, save for one, that was walking away, continuously checking over his shoulder. "There! The one who walks away slowly, the cougar in the trench coat."  
"I… I can't make that shot!" Neal radioed back. "Too many bystanders."  
"You've made harder!"  
"Not this time. I'm sorry."  
Kai withdrew and assembled his railgun, looking down the sights. As soon as the cougar saw that he was being aimed at, he took off running. Kai pulled the trigger. The projectile struck the feline through his left knee, taking off his leg.  
"Neal, go down and secure him. I'll be right there."  
He returned to Ida, who was gasping for air.  
"I can't die," she muttered. "My son."  
"Ida, look at me. You won't die," he responded, packing the wound. Two shots of painkillers later, and he was able to pick her up without protest. "You're only halfway through your life."  
"Why?" she asked.  
"Why what?"  
"Why are you so kind to me? Even after what I've done?"  
"Because you love your son. You would do anything for him."  
"So?"  
"I know the feeling."  
"You do?"  
"I flew here from halfway across the world to save my friend from liver failure. One of your victims."  
"All the more reason for you to leave me here."  
"You're not a martyr, stop acting like one. And stop talking."  
She promptly complied.

By the time they made it to the road leading out of the observatory, Neal radioed back.  
"Sir, how many shots did you fire?"  
"Only one. Why?"  
"He's got two holes in his chest, and one through his head."  
"Damnit, there was another."  
"Another what?"  
"No matter. Where are you?"  
"Still in the forest."  
"Flee. The last thing I need is for you to be framed. Leave the rifle on the observatory's driveway. I'll meet up with you later, you'll have your million then."  
"Got it."  
The radio cut out.  
"A million? I didn't think I was worth that much. Where are you taking me?" Ida inquired weakly.  
"The hospital."  
"They'll suspect something."  
"Why?"  
"A shooting near the observatory, equipment at the top for a shooting, and a doe getting checked into the hospital."  
"You have hooves, it's not like you can leave prints."  
"I'm sure we both left fur up there."  
"I'll pull strings. Nothing will happen to you."  
"But someone tried to kill me. How do you know they won't do it again?"  
"You have my word that you will be safe." He chuckled. "Granted, I can't make that promise to a certain vole."  
"You know Warmer?"  
"I'm his boss." He picked the discarded rifle up, disassembled it, and stowed it in his pack. "Now, you have a fawn to cure. Let's get you patched up so you can see to it."  
Although he couldn't see it, she smiled.

* * *

 **Court Lodge  
9 PM**

Kai was sitting in a chair before the statue of Atlas, when he motioned for Arcturus to start the meeting. After a few words from the grizzly, he stood to speak.  
"Atria, Rigel, Alioth, and their proteges. Step forward."  
The ewe, doe, and two voles came forward.  
"Proteges?" he inquired of the former two.  
"You know we don't have any yet," Rigel responded bitterly.  
"Very well. I suppose I should start off by stating that I spoke with the killer in question. A doe named Ida; rather charming girl, but I digress. Of course, there was an assassination attempt and a cover up, which means that not only did someone here lie, they also ignored my command to cease the search."  
"And you think one of us did this?" Rigel asked, amused.  
"Alioth," Kai continued, ignoring the deer. "I asked for a list of every building in the city. How did you produce your list?"  
"I had a committee, I'm not sure who came up with it."  
"I see. Who was on this committee?"  
"I called two mammals in charge of records at City Hall and the Architect's Union, respectively. I also had my chief editor, and my son."  
"My money is on you being responsible. That's exactly the list used for the killer's itinerary. Given its unusual nature, it can't be an accident that you also came up with the list."  
"No, you're wrong!" Alioth retorted, taking a step back and raising his paws in surrender.  
"Father, how could you?" his protege muttered, shaking his head. "I expected better of you."  
"As did I. Your parenting skills must be awful."  
"Yeah, your—what?" his son responded, looking to Kai.  
"Alioth, do me a favor and take three steps to the right."  
The vole did so.  
"You must believe me, I'm not responsible!" he cried out.  
"The evidence says otherwise."  
Alioth looked first to Rigel, then to the audience, then to his son, before finally looking back to Kai. He lowered his head in defeat.  
"Do what you will, then. Just don't hurt my son."  
Kai chuckled, cracking his knuckles.  
"I would make that promise, but I can see your son smiling."  
"What? He's wearing a mask, how can you—"  
"It doesn't shield infrared." Kai raised his foot and crushed Alioth's son, grinding his boot slightly, before walking back to his chair. "I had my suspicions, but that proved it. Your son tried to frame you."  
Alioth fell to his knees by the red stain on the stage, running his paws along it.  
"No, that can't… That can't be," he muttered, falling silent.  
"You just killed a member of the Court!" someone from the crowd shouted.  
"It goes without saying that killing any member of the Court is wrong. I will not tolerate such acts of violence. However, I tolerate deceit even less. Yes, I killed him, and I'll do it again in a heartbeat if anyone here pulls the same stunt."  
"I thought everyone here was equal, and yet Arcturus runs the show, six others are high and mighty, and you boss them around!"  
Voices of agreement rang out. When they died down, Kai spoke again.  
"I forgot maybe half the Court is new. Regardless, that is faulty thinking. You are not equal, least of all to me. Anyone who thinks that we are is welcome to take it up with me."  
A buffalo stood and walked to the stage, throwing off his robe and mask.  
"Are you a fool?" Arcturus shouted at the buffalo, getting between them. "You have no chance of beating him."  
"I'm a black belt in kick boxing. He has nothing on me."  
"Legend says," Sirius began, also walking to the stage, making slow circles around them, narrating to the audience. "Legend says that this wolf: Procyon, my protege, was only ever beaten once. The mammal that beat him was Arcturus, but it wasn't even a victory for him."  
"He was unarmed, weighed down by ballistic plates, encumbered by his robe and mask, and still nearly beat me," Arcturus affirmed. "He wasn't even fighting to kill, his primary goal was shielding his identity."  
"Identity?" the buffalo asked.  
"None of your concern," Kai intervened.  
"Legend says he also tore a rhino's heart, still beating, from his chest," Sirius continued.  
"And I can attest to that," Arcturus continued.  
"You must be very new to the Court," Kai mocked. "I should hope that you would like to stay longer than the month you may have been here."  
The buffalo pushed Arcturus out of the way and swung his clenched fist, before being immediately stopped by Kai's arm plunging through his chest.  
"Three major vessels connect your heart to the rest of your body," he spoke. "All it takes are a few cuts, but…" Kai withdrew his hand, pushing the buffalo over. "You're not even worth those three cuts. Rigel, Atria, I trust you can stop the bleeding."  
"That can't be why you called us up!" Rigel shouted, quickly putting pressure on the buffalo's chest.  
"No, it was primarily because I enjoy seeing your bright smile from so close. That, and to avoid Alioth's protege getting suspicious." He turned and walked up the steps. "Sirius, come with me. As for the rest of you, I think it would be wise you didn't inform the newcomers who I really am."

He walked side by side through the halls of the lodge with the wolf.  
"You know, you were pretty scary back there," Sirius piped up.  
"I should hope so. I am jocund because I choose to be. I can be a real heartless bastard to anyone who gets in my way."  
"What if I get in your way?"  
Kai sighed.  
"I wouldn't hurt you. Not after all we've been through."  
"What, then?"  
"I might toss you around a little," he quipped, ruffling the fur on Sirius' head.  
"So why do you need me right now?"  
"I enjoy your company."  
"So you pulled me out of the meeting for no reason?"  
"Those meetings are boring, anyways. Besides, with one dead and one about to be, I don't think there will be much of a meeting tonight."  
They walked in silence for a while.  
"By the way," Sirius began. "Back there, when you said none of us were equal…"  
"You should know by now that you, Arcturus, Regulus, Achernar, and a handful of others are with me in the penthouse of the hierarchy. Everyone else is down on ground level, or somewhere between."  
"So it wasn't just some human view of superiority over mammals?"  
"You're overly dramatic sometimes, you know that?"  
They arrived at his room, where they found Leora lying on the bed, staring at a screen.  
"Problem's solved, Leora," Kai quipped. She didn't respond. "Leora?"  
"Hmm?" she muttered, not looking away.  
"Anything good?"  
"Surprisingly, yeah. The author of the log writes: 'Jul 6, Year 4150: A strange visitor arrived at the door. Entirely shrouded. We invited him in, since no one had ever seen a visitor in their lives. Previous log entries indicate visitors in the twenty-sixth century, but this is a first in the last dozen lifetimes. We offered food, which he accepted. When he removed his hood to eat, he had the face of a wolf! He gave his name as Jin-Roh, and told us that he could take us to a warmer land. A land with working farms. A land once called 'The Crescent of Niagara', whatever it means. The real kicker is that he told us that he offered the same thing to our ancestors, sixteen centuries ago. We inquired about his age, and he told us he was immortal. When we asked why he came back, he told us that our power supply was only designed to last one thousand five hundred years, and that we were four hundred years over budget. We voted forty to seven to stay put. However, two volunteered to go. Ivan and Svetlana each took a week of food, and left with him.'"  
Kai took a seat in a chair, closed his eyes, and leaned on his clenched fist, deep in thought.  
"What is it?" Sirius asked.  
"Jin-Roh was one of the four generals that I had any respect for. Even more so because he refused augmentation. He initially grew up poor and couldn't afford them, but even when he became general he refused on principle. He was a regular human; although I spared him and sent him to his family, even if he survived the bombs, he couldn't have lived past a hundred and fifty."  
"So that means whoever checked in with them was pretending to be him?"  
"Either he came back from the dead and got a disguise projector from thin air, or an immortal with a knack for humor got their hands on a disguise projector."  
"It couldn't have been an actual wolf who knew what to say?"  
"Who would have told him what to say? Leora, could you check the log for any previous visitors?"  
"I already did," she responded. "No 'Jin-Roh'."  
"Who was there?"  
"Let's see..." She tapped the screen several times. "Only two."  
There was a pause in the conversation.  
"Are you waiting for it to load, or is this for dramatic tension?" Kai inquired.  
"One George MacClintholm, and... Vitya."  
Kai shot up and looked at the screen in disbelief, before making haste to the closet and getting dressed.  
"Wait, what about our trip?" Leora inquired, nearly whining.  
He threw her a coat.  
"We'll take a detour. Sirius, what's the fastest you can get us three hundred miles north-west?"  
"Where, exactly?" the wolf inquired.  
"Giant waterfalls, three of them. Although, I guess it could be one or two if they eroded enough."  
"Oh, you mean Onyara Falls?"  
"Is that what you call it?" Kai retorted with an air of annoyance in his voice. "Fine. How fast can you get us there?"  
"I'm sure I could convince Arcturus to get you a flight there in a couple of hours."  
"Do it." He dragged Leora by the arm. "We need to pack."  
She was laughing the entire way down the halls. She was finally going on a real adventure.

* * *

 **A/N: First chapter of the sequel. Hopefully the kick-off is entertaining. I guess you could call it a prologue; it would probably make more sense split into two or three parts, but I figured it would be easier to read if it was only one chapter.**

 **I've personally read through the entire chapter several times, and Jackofallfables and 33K121 also gave it a read (thanks again for that), and I think I've gotten rid of all of the typos, but I'm not sure. Let me know if you find anything.**

 **I've decided not to do fun facts, since even when other people send them to me, I still end up putting repeats. However, I suppose a mini fun-fact could be that Alioth's name, Sam L. Warmer, is a reference to Sam Warner of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.**

* * *

 **Plot synopsis of the prequel, for those of you that either don't wish to read, or want a reminder of the events that happened. I suppose now is a good time to mention that this story doesn't focus on Nick and Judy. In the prequel, they were supporting characters, and they most likely won't make an appearance until much later in this story. Note that this is going to be very long, since it's roughly 50 chapters, and approximately 300k words. Obviously don't read on if you don't want spoilers:**

 **The Beast of Yesterday**

Two and a half thousand years before the events of the story, humans ruled the world. The 23rd century was full of wars and conflicts, and the technology available to fight those wars had drastically improved; advanced missiles, super-soldiers, and things we could only dream of as 'future tech'. One such super soldier, Garrett, was born and built by a political figure only known as 'The Master', jokingly referred to as Ozymandias, because he would later be responsible for ruining his own kingdom and the world. Garrett did whatever the Master asked of him; in his youth, he was an assassin, targeting the Master's political opponents. Nearly perfect in his calculations, it was no hard task for him. Later in life, he became a soldier used to conquer the world. Well into his eighties, he commanded the largest army in the world; old age bore no burden to him, as he was designed to stop aging in his prime. His military conquests earned him the title of Kaiser, which he shortened to make his moniker, Kai. By the end of the 23rd century, he was relegated to bodyguard duty as his paranoid master realized what the world was coming to. The Master had commissioned a safe-house, a bunker to be built six miles beneath the surface. Not long after he and his bodyguard retreated to its safe confines, nuclear war broke out, ruining much of the Earth.

However, not all was lost; several years prior, geneticists worked on animals of all sorts, splicing human DNA into them in attempts to provide enough human organs to fulfill the demands of the previous wars. Their experiments only succeeded on mammals, given the genetic resemblance to humans. By pure chance (and the actions of several animal rights activists), several labs managed to lose their stock of mammals into the wild. Although the nuclear missiles targeted civilization, mammals managed to skirt the destruction by avoiding human settlement.

The world was cold and dark for nearly five hundred years, before a 'year zero' of sorts: dozens of tribes, predators and prey alike, tired of the endless conflict and hunting, held a meeting. Their leaders decided on a truce: no predator or prey would hold any more grudges from the past. The truce was enacted, and the first combined animal civilization began to blossom.

However, in order to ensure that their peace was lasting, the tribe leaders formed a secret council, and continued to make decisions that would guide the city: who would live where, who would do what work, and if there was dissent, who to kill. The seats on their council would pass from parent to child, occasionally jumping to close advisers if there was no suitable heir. In time, this council came to be known as the Astral Court, with one motto: as the stars guided their ancestors to safety and prosperity, they would guide their progeny to the same.

Nearly two thousand years later, modern-day Zootopia exists as a beacon for unity across the world. It is at this time that Garrett, now referring to himself exclusively by his prestigious title, grew curious about life on the surface. The entirety of human entertainment could only keep a man company for so long, and now that it was exhausted, he made the climb back. After overcoming the shock of mammals now ruling the world as the dominant class, he decided that he wanted to rule the world again. To him, the easiest way to do so was through fear.

After several close encounters, Kai managed to steal enough information to know that two years prior, a ewe named Bellwether used a poison to make mammals lose their minds. He designed his own brand of toxin, and began methodically killing criminals, faking them to look like savage maulings, leaving only a Night Howler as his calling card. Eventually, the media began reporting on the 'Night Howler Killer'; mammals were now afraid to leave their homes. Once he had finished with the first phase of his plan, he reasoned that raiding the headquarters of the police would make an ideal strategy. He hid in the night, and in the morning, faked a fire to force the officers inside to evacuate. Pretending that he had hostages, he hid in the office of the chief of police, stealing the files in their databases. He demanded that the smallest officer act as hostage negotiator; to that, Chief Bogo sent in Officer Judy Hopps, who in turn only agreed to enter with Officer Nick Wilde.

They held a lengthy discussion, before Nick realized that there were no hostages. Before he could relay the information back to the SWAT team waiting outside, he was darted with the man's serum. However, in a stroke of strange remorse, Kai tossed a vial of antidote onto the ground before absconding with his newfound data. Judy fought her partner in a lengthy struggle before she managed to grab the syringe on the ground and jab it into the fox.

Later, in the hospital, Nick wakes up to find heartfelt cards from his coworkers, and a rather injured Judy. Among the flowers at his bedside was a single Night Howler; among the cards, a plain box. Kai had been intrigued by their tenacity, as he had expected nothing of the sort from animals. He demanded that they play his game, to see just how far they would go. Unfortunately for them, he only gave them a pittance worth of time, and the box had been untouched in Nick's hospital room for nearly the entire duration.

When Nick and Judy returned to their apartment, they found the strange creature waiting for them. Judy managed to negotiate, giving them until morning. Nick looked inside the box and saw a single syringe; the note attached to it explained that, in order to begin the game, one of them must inject themselves. Judy insisted that they sleep on it, and in the middle of the night, Nick injected himself. He blacked out, and found that next morning, his injuries no longer hurt. They decided to take a walk through the park before they were due to meet with the man, but found an untimely mugger in their path. Nick tried to negotiate their way out of the situation, but before anything could happen, the man killed the mugger from above, reminding Nick and Judy that it was time for them to choose. Nick volunteered, and at the man's strange request to choose a number between one and ten, chose seven. The man then declared that, in his game, the fox would have to perform seven tasks. Nick managed to sneak out of the first task, insisting that the act of choosing the number constituted a task. The man shrugged it off, and asked Nick to meet him at the iconic Lion's Gate, the original point of immigration into the city.

Judy insisted on reporting the murder of the mugger and called for the forensics team. In doing so, they both got dragged down to the precinct to answer numerous questions about the identity of the murderer. By the evening, Nick got enrolled in a sting operation to nab the killer, once and for all. Wearing a stab jacket, he waited beneath the large pagoda at Lion's Gate for the man to arrive; he spotted the man near the ocean side of the building, and walked over. They discuss several matters, all while Nick tried to lure him into the snipers' lines of fire, but the man saw through his trick. Under threat of killing every officer in the area, he took Nick away, back to the fountain in the park where their game first began. He handed a folder containing incriminating documents for a badger who had paid his way out of a double murder trial, and demanded that Nick's second challenge was to kill the badger in any way he saw fit. He introduced himself to the fox as Kai, and left him to his own devices.

After a lengthy reprimanding at the precinct, Nick and Judy began to plan how they would go about the task. They decided that Nick would go early in the morning, kill the badger in his sleep, and make it back before sunrise. The next morning, he set out to the Burrows; he broke in relatively easily, and began searching for the badger. His search led him downstairs, where he found a hidden chamber containing numerous cubs and kits in various states of torture. All feelings of regret aside, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen and made his way upstairs. Before he could get very far, the badger attacked him, sending him tumbling down the stairs onto his knife. Crippled, the fight was very one-sided, until Nick managed to trip the badger and bite through his neck.

Once the deed was done, Nick called the police, and escaped. He made it back to his apartment mostly unseen, where Judy pulled the knife from his back and cleaned up his wounds. Several hours later, Kai barged in and informed them of a change of plans. The officer in charge of the previous night's sting operation was suspicious of them, had correctly deduced (albeit on flawed logic) that Nick was secretly conspiring with the Night Howler Killer, and pulled a few crooked cops to break into their home. They insisted on dealing with the problem by themselves, but Kai set up a sniper's nest on the opposite rooftop just in case.

When the crooked cops arrived, a struggle ensued: Judy got shot, the lead cop got his arm torn off, and his two lackeys were killed. Kai kidnapped the surviving crooked cop, and throws a syringe filled with a shimmering red liquid to Nick on the instructions that he should only use it on Judy if she died, and to destroy it otherwise. Kai interrogated the cop in Chief Bogo's office, insisting that no one would expect to look for him there. He eventually managed to get the officer to give him a name, that of a raccoon who was his handler. Kai dials Bogo, demanding that he hear the officer's confession for himself.

Bogo arrived much later than the man had wanted, as he was getting reinforcements into position. Bogo listened to the confession, talked briefly with the man, and fought, before eventually coming to a settlement: on the condition that the killer no longer kill, he would get a squad of Bogo's officers to command. Kai tells Bogo to expect a wolf in several days; he then smoked the room out and escaped through the window.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Nick has the mysterious red substance analyzed, only to find that it was virtually unidentifiable. He waited for hours by Judy's bedside, only to have a visitor; a strange wolf, unlike any wolf he had ever seen. The wolf took Nick back to his apartment, and revealed that he was the killer. He also revealed that he wasn't a wolf, but instead something called a human; he only managed to maintain the appearance of a wolf through modifying very advanced military technology, which was why he looked different from normal wolves. He tells Nick all about humanity, their accomplishments, and their downfalls. Their discussion lasts many hours, until Kai needs to leave.

The next morning, Bogo is extremely worried; he was supposed to be approached by a wolf, but had not yet met with the killer. Instead, Mayor Lionheart entered and announced that a foreign diplomat was visiting. Bogo sent one of his lieutenants, former soldier and leopardess named Leora, to give the diplomat a tour. During the tour, he managed to upset several officers, incapacitate two, and sneak into the police armory, all under the guise of diplomatic immunity. Midway through, he asked that Leora have one of the rec rooms set up for fighting, and told Bogo to call in five of his finest officers from every precinct. Afterwards, he went to the underground firing range; despite besting the finest sniper there, he asked for the sniper to join his team.

Before long, Kai, Leora, and Chief Bogo are overseeing the combat in the rec room. He eventually had his victors: a gazelle named prance, a polar bear named Bjorn, and a snow leopard named Felix. Instead of accepting the fourth victor, he opted instead to choose the victor's opponent on the grounds that he fought dirty, an arctic wolf named Rufus. Together with the sniper, the arctic fox called Neal, he had his five. However, Chief Bogo insisted that he take six; the last would be Leora. Kai demanded that she prove her worth, and challenged her to one on one combat in the ring below. Although she lost, she fought well enough that he agreed to take her.

After lengthy evaluations, Kai ordered his team to drive towards the fields before the mountains, where he would train them up to his standards. However, before he could join them, he finally received word that Nick gave away the mysterious compound for sampling. He found Nick, and citing it as his third task, raided the hospital's lab to retrieve and destroy any samples, as well as the data that the technicians had collected. He revealed that the substance was _Panacea_ , an unbelievably expensive medicine from his time that was purported to cure all physical ailments.

Once the loose ends were tied up, Kai joined his team outside of the city; before their training began, Leora revealed to him privately that she was dishonorably discharged from the military after a scandal where her superior officer sexually assaulted her. After asking why she became a soldier or a cop in the first place, she admitted that her parents both suffered from very early onset dementia, and became senile before she could start at university; in order to make ends meet, she received a military scholarship and joined the academy. Eventually, they began their training. After several days, Nick receives a troubling visit from Chief Bogo, who was suspicious of his actions. After lying his way out of the discussion, he went home, only to be arrested by a detective. Kai found out through Judy, and gave his team its first assignment: to break into the precinct and steal the fox back.

While his team worked on securing Nick, Kai and Leora paid a trip to Bogo. He explained to the Chief that Nick was under his protection, and that he didn't like being disobeyed. Bogo challenged the man, asking if he would do anything about it. As a demonstration of force, Kai launched a nuclear missile many miles off of the coast, and told a dumbfounded Bogo that if the buffalo dared to defy him again, he would turn his weapons on the city. Once they had left with Nick in their possession, the fox chastised Kai for using the very weapons he claimed brought his civilization down, puzzling the rest of his team. He sent them back to their training camp, and informed Nick that his fourth task would be to find the raccoon that the crooked cop spoke of.

Nick talked with Judy, who happened to ride the same train as the raccoon until she moved in with Nick. She gets discharged from the hospital, and began their search on the same train that she used to ride. When they reached the center of Sahara Square, they noticed a rather mangy raccoon, dressed far too warmly for the climate. They approached her and discovered that she was, in fact, the mammal they were searching for. After an uncomfortable conversation, and her admitting the was responsible for Judy getting shot, she invited them to her home. There, Nick and Judy discovered that she was fired from her previous work, and only took her new line because she had to pay for cancer treatment. Upon finding out, Nick called Kai from his training, and told him that she would divulge any information in exchange for a cure. He promptly arrived, and after a tense argument, agreed to treat her. Once the treatment was over, she informed him that she worked for a panda that they could find in Sahara Square, where she had been earlier that day.

Kai rounded up his team and had them accompany him to Sahara Square. After getting past the panda's security, they talked to the panda himself, who told them that he would rather speak about his more illicit business partnerships in the privacy of his manor in Tundratown. He was the owner of one of Zootopia's premier food and wine publications, and was a collector of sorts; he only agreed to speak with them if Kai divulged the location of ancient human relics, and brought him an exotic food to sample. Kai sent everyone, save for Neal and Leora, with the panda to his manor. He instead had the latter two arm themselves more adequately in the event something went wrong, and himself went to fetch a bottle of fermented, carbonated mare's milk, the only food he was sure the panda had never tried.

When he arrived at the panda's manor, he had Leora seek a back entrance, and Neal take a sniper's roost, in case his negotiations went sour. He entered, and only found Rufus, who sat silently at the very large dinner table, along with the panda, and several members of his security team. After providing the panda with what he asked for, the panda reneged on his deal, claiming that Kai had lied: Kai had already come into possession of the relics when his Master had died, and the location he had given was false. The panda then revealed that Kai couldn't take any action, as the rest of his company was imprisoned and would be killed had he tried resisting. As he was taken away with Rufus by the security detail, Kai noticed that Rufus nearly had his tongue cut out, and that Prance's antlers were mounted above the panda's fireplace.

When they were taken to the rest of his team minus Prance, he killed most of the security detail before freeing his squadron. He initially left the head of security alive so that he could relay the message to his employer, but later allowed the mammal to run free when he told the man what his employer would do to him. They barely manage to escape, and upon finding a body floating in the river, Kai sends everyone save for Leora to the hospital. He had her dive into the river so that she could cut the shackles around the body's ankles, and to pull the body ashore. Now ashore, he reveals the body to be that of Prance, and takes him to the hospital.

Everyone else received treatment for their injuries, and Kai bribed a doctor to perform a procedure of his design on Prance in secrecy. He went to speak with Chief Bogo, who lambasted him for his poor decision-making and relieved him of his command. He exited the office, only to find that his team had heard their discussion, and resented him for leading them into what he knew would be a tough situation. Bogo addressed them and offered his condolences, and everyone left, save for Leora. She got into an argument with him, since he couldn't prosecute the panda for killing Prance.

The next evening, Leora entered a pub and ordered a drink. When she returned, she discovered a wolf sitting at her table. He gave her an address, and told her the phrase 'Lex Talionis'. She traveled to the docks, and found the rest of her team waiting by the designated warehouse. They entered and found the panda strapped to a chair, bloody and beaten, and Kai standing over him. Kai left to arrange their payment, and the panda told them that Kai tortured his only child, pointing to the mutilated body hanging from the chains on the ceiling. Pitying the mammal, they tranquilized him to death. When Kai returned, they demanded an explanation, and he revealed the panda's deception, but brushed it off, paying them the panda's life savings, split six ways. When asked about the sixth bag, he told them it was for Prance, and asked them to meet him at the antelope's home the following morning. They reconvened at the home, and found Kai waiting with an elderly, unkempt antelope. They paid their respects, only for the latter two to laugh at them. Kai revealed that the operation he wanted performed was successful, but with very prominent side effects. After explaining himself, Kai left them to celebrate.

In the evening, Kai left to meet with a senator for dinner, a young, popular wolf named Ian Cynewulf. However, he found that the meal set out for him was poisoned, and demanded an explanation. After an unsuccessful attempt on the senator's part to kill him, the senator relented and revealed that he was in charge of the crime syndicate including the panda, and that he was a member of the Astral Court, before extending an invitation to Kai. After he accepted, the pair drove off to the Court's Lodge, not far from the city; on the way, the wolf explained the inner workings of the Court: every member is named for a star, as the original founders felt that it was poetic. In the senator's case, he was named Sirius, and as per tradition, Kai was to be named Procyon. Once they reached their destination, other parties revealed that Kai was the wolf's third protege, and not his first, as previously implied.

When Kai questioned this deception in private, Sirius revealed that he was terminally ill, and had only taken him on as protege to keep a closer eye on him. After Kai's first meeting, Sirius instructed the man to accompany him along his day's routine: several charity functions, seemingly random errands, and lawmaking. Eventually, after Kai gave him medicine to relieve some of his symptoms, he correctly deduced that Kai was, in fact, a human, and took him back to the basement of the lodge to reveal the truth. When they arrived, Kai was shown thousands of artifacts from the time of humans. Most of it was useless junk, but there were books, gadgets, and various knick-knacks among them.

In exchange for keeping his identity a secret, Kai agreed to help the giraffe Achernar, the lead historian, in cataloging the thousands of articles. In the process, he gets visited by the kangaroo Achernar and the vixen Vega, daughter of Regulus, who provided Sirius' medical records. Kai deduced the wolf's illness, and eventually gave him the proper medicine. He also found out that Vega secretly had a crush on Neal, who was her neighbor after she moved away from her father. Kai called Neal and convinced him to date her as a gesture of goodwill. He then finds out that the members of the Court that regulate the drug trade have set up an opium farm, and have started to distribute heroin in the city. In charge of it all is the lion Denebola, protege to and adopted son of the grizzly bear Arcturus, who heads the Court meetings.

Elsewhere, Leora and the rest of the team, now promoted to SWAT, are sent to raid the opium farm where an officer was nearly killed on routine patrol. They find Denebola, whom Leora recognized as the commanding officer who sexually assaulted her while she was still in the military. She cuffed him, maced him, and beat him, before finally submitting him for arrest. When he made it to the precinct, the Court ordered Kai to serve papers releasing him from custody, but Kai negotiated for Sirius be placed in charge of the drug trade, and for Denebola to be sent back to the military base away from Zootopia. Until then, Denebola was forbidden from leaving the Court lodge, and was to be under the watchful eye of Antares. However, Antares failed to watch the lion, who managed to sneak away early in the morning. In an act of revenge, he and two of his underlings found where Leora lived, beat her bloody and broken, and raped her, before framing it as an attempted suicide.

Several hours later, Kai was looking to purchase raw materials from a wholesaler in the Court, when he got a call from Bogo to check up on Leora. He arrived in time to cut her from the noose she was hanging in, and managed to resuscitate her. After getting her cleaned up, he went after Denebola. He shot the lion through the knee and kidnapped him, driving far away from the city to a hill in the fields, with a lone tree on top. After forcing the lion up the hill at gunpoint, Kai tortured him for Leora's amusement. They left him on the hill with a single bullet, which he chose to fire at the duo who were escaping.

When they returned, Kai wanted to take Leora to the hospital, but she insisted on seeing the Court, as they were responsible for Denebola getting away with his previous crime against her. They sat in the meeting, until Arcturus found out that his son was dead. He demanded a trial be held against Kai, but Kai invoked the ancient rule of trial by combat; he sent Sirius to the hospital with Leora, and came down ready to fight the grizzly. However, in his attempts to keep his identity concealed under the Court's traditional robe and mask, he was badly injured. Outraged, he threw off his disguise and nearly killed the bear, before escaping to his bunker.

Although he barely survived, the Court was scrambling to find the mysterious human from the night before. Kai broke his disguise when he fell down the central stairwell, so he rebuilt it, ensuring that it was as close to the real thing as could be. He called Nick and gave his fifth task as traveling to the hospital and checking on Leora. Nick did so, and relayed back that Leora was gone; she had been checked out by 'a friend'. Kai suspected the Court of taking her, and returned to the building. There, he shot several members, and demanded her release. The doe, Rigel, cut him a bargain: in exchange for giving himself up, they would release Leora. However, once they had a shock collar on him, they then revealed that they didn't have Leora, but agreed not to chase after her.

Leora had instead been checked out by Felix. Fearing for her life, she begged Felix to smuggle her out of the city, and so he sent her across the ocean to his birthplace in the Himalayas, now called Sagarmatha. Over the next two months, Kai was imprisoned by the Court. He was kept company mostly by Sirius, but received visits from Achernar, Vega, and the rabbit Jack Savage, known to the Court as Altair. On one visit, Vega revealed that her boyfriend and Kai's former teammate, Neal, had fallen ill after being bitten by a rabid fox, despite being treated with an antidote. Kai instructed her to ask her father, the head of disease control and virology in Zootopia.

After Regulus came to yell at him, Vega returned; now physically beaten by her father, she was willing to break the Court's decree and free Kai, so that he would save Neal. Once he was free, he went to Regulus' Tundratown campus, where they were keeping him. When they found him, they were forced to hide when Regulus came to check on the fox. Expressing his disgust for his daughter's choice in a mate, he threatened to incinerate the contents of the room. Hearing this, Vega entered the room and proclaimed her love for the fox, kissing him on the mouth. She posed an ultimatum: either let Kai use the advanced antivirals that he brought, or burn them both. Regulus apologized, and hit the button on the room. On Vega's request, Kai rushed to the gas shutoff, and barely managed to cut the lines before the three minute pre-burn cycle was up.

When he returned, he found that he was too late; although the room hadn't caught fire, the gasses that flooded it were poisonous, and both foxes inside were dead. He demanded that Regulus open the door so that he could give them panacea, but Altair arrived and tried to arrest him. Defeating the agents, Kai took a vial of Neal's blood as a bargaining chip, and followed Altair at his request, leaving behind the panacea and antivirals for Regulus to use in their resuscitation. Altair took him to a bar, where they came to a standstill of assured destruction: if Kai left the city at all, if he sent one of his own after her, or if he gathered them together, Altair would kill them; on the other hand, if Altair harmed a single hair on them, Kai would spread the weaponized strain of rabies all across the city.

Since their agreement was settled, Kai returned to the Court lodge, where he negotiated a permanent residence at the lodge so that he wouldn't have to stray from the city. Early the following day, Kai traveled to Bogo's office, where he convinced the chief of police to send Nick, Judy, and Felix abroad after Leora; the Court didn't know he had connections to the fox and the rabbit, and seeing how they would be honeymooning soon, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for them to travel, and it was plausible that Felix could be merely visiting family.

Later in the morning, Nick proposed to Judy in the same park where they had first met the man. On the way, however, he encountered Bogo in casual wear, who covertly asked that they travel to the East; their only objective was to find Leora. The rest of the time was theirs, all expenses paid. He also passed on the message from Kai that it would be his sixth task. After a lengthy conversation between the couple, they decided that they would take him up on the offer. While they prepare, Kai gets permission to travel to his bunker to obtain more medicine for Sirius; he takes the wolf with him, and offers him rare delicacies, which he readily accepts. Once he obtains the medication, and some extra food for Sirius, they return to the lodge.

Nearly a week later, Nick and Judy manage to board their flight, along with Felix. After a long journey, they eventually make it to Sagarmatha Port, where Felix warns them about the locals, and tells them not to be open about their relationship. The following morning, the trio traveled to visit Felix's family, where Nick and Judy received flak for wearing matching rings, despite fervently denying their relationship. When they finally received a car with which to travel, they set out for the monastery several hours away.

Back in Zootopia, Altair ran into Kai's room and berated him for sending one of his squad abroad. Kai denied the allegations, but Altair responded by hinting that Leora was no longer at the monastery Felix sent her to. Kai then covertly went around the city to ensure that the rabbit didn't break his word and harm his crew, before he realized that he was being followed by Altair's agents. After a confrontation and a fight, Kai revealed to her that he wasn't an ordinary wolf to force the rabbit's hand. She called Altair, and the rabbit showed up to tranquilize her, again berating Kai for revealing the truth to outsiders. Kai gave Altair a choice: that he make her his protege, or that he kill her, of which Altair chose the former. When Kai continued along his search to find Neal, he couldn't. He instead traveled to Vega, who was crying her eyes out; she told him that Neal was cremated, and that Kai's drugs had no effect. Outraged at the deception, he demanded that she take him to her father; they boarded the train to reach the small city Mapleton, not far from Zootopia which housed a little over a million mammals, most of which worked in the medical tower in the city's downtown. Once they reached the top office in the tower, they confronted Regulus, who tried to justify taking the antivirals. Kai demanded to know the location of the antivirals, and Regulus told him that they were in the basement labs. After getting everything he wanted, Kai force-fed Neal's infected blood to him and left. When they reached the bottom of the tower, they found that Regulus had intentionally jumped; when he pointed out that his blood splattered across all of the nearby mammals, and that they would likely also catch the infection, Kai grabbed Vega and ran to the top of the building, calling Arcturus.

Meanwhile, Nick, Judy, and Felix reached the monastery, before being told that Leora had since left. They stayed the night at the monastery, where one of the monks gave them a tour; along the way, they passed a large mosaic depicting humans, to which they were informed that humans were merely above mammals in the cycle of reincarnation, and that the only reason there haven't been any in recorded history is because mammals simply did not have good karma. At the end of their tour, they met the head monk who told them a parable; using a pond to demonstrate the universe, and rose petals floating to demonstrate living mammals, he compared the set to life and consequences. However, an earthquake interrupted his parable, and caused all of the petals to sink to the bottom. After they ate, they went to bed.

Not long before, however, on the other side of the world, Kai and Vega managed to escape the tower on a helicopter with Arcturus. They discussed what to do, and he and Arcturus settled on destroying the city with a nuclear missile to prevent the spread of the disease. Although Vega was very disappointed in his actions, Kai launches the nuclear missile regardless, wiping Mapleton off of the map, causing the earthquake which ruined the head monk's parable so very far away. When Kai inadvertently heard that Leora's parents' dementia had ties to one of the members of the Court, he fetched Bogo and together went to the asylum where they were being held. They spoke with the parents, who told marvelous tales of Feudal Japan, and of the origin of intelligent mammals. Once Bogo dismissed it as nonsense and left, Kai interrogated the head of the facility. He learned that their dementia wasn't a coincidence; it was caused by a viral collaboration between Regulus and Altair, who were instructed by the Court to find mammals that knew the truth, and to dispose of them.

On the way out of the facility, he stumbled upon the same wolf that Altair had sent to spy on him nearly a week ago. In her explanation, Altair decided that he didn't want a protege, and tried to give her memory loss drugs. Kai broke her out and sent her to the military base, where they were to keep her safe until his return. When he returned to the Court lodge, many members were furious about Mapleton, but Altair especially. However, upon realizing that the virus would have spread had it not been contained, and that Kai not only possessed the firepower to wipe a city off of the map in an instant, but that he could do it countless more times, they came to side with him. When Kai revealed what Altair did with his ex-protege, the Court instructed him not to retaliate against Kai, as he was no better. Kai then received the Court's permission to fly to Sagarmatha, and traveled to the military base, where he asked the wolf to be his pilot; they took off later in the night.

On the flight over, the wolf told him her name: Grace. During the flight, she coerces him into revealing his true face; she already knew his identity from her brief time as Altair's protege, but wanted confirmation nonetheless. When Grace flew over the monastery, Kai jumped from the plane, landing several miles from his mark. He eventually made it to the monastery, where on a misunderstanding, the head monk had several of his underlings attack Kai. Eventually, the head monk remorsefully quipped that, based on Kai's actions, he would never reincarnate higher than a mammal, which prompted him to remove his disguise and his mask. Seeing his mistake, head monk insisted that they hold a feast in the man's honor; Kai was unable to decline due to their persistence, and dined with them. Before he went to bed, he received a phone call from Sirius; the wolf was suspicious of Altair's actions, and asked that Kai return to Zootopia, but the man declined, saying that he had to finish his business in the East before he could go back.

The following morning, he set out along the same trail as Nick, Judy and Felix, and Leora before them. Before long, he heard a loud boom overhead; looking at the source of the noise, he recognized it as a military cruise missile. Worried, he dialed Arcturus, but to no response. He eventually managed to reach Sirius, who informed him that over the course of the past few hours, Altair had launched a coup against the Court. Sirius insisted that he cut their discussion short, as he had gone into hiding and wished to conserve his resources, including his phone's power. Kai then dialed Altair, who taunted him, telling him that he didn't have anything else to worry about in the East, before hanging up.

Kai sprinted down the path until he came upon Felix, who held Judy in his arms, and the monk that was accompanying Leora previously. When he asked about Nick, Felix told him that the fox was swept away by an avalanche caused by the missile, which narrowly missed its mark. Kai proceeded, followed by Felix, as the monk took Judy back to the monastery. They eventually reached the site of the avalanche, and after careful listening, Kai managed to pull the bloody fox from the snow; he had a piece of missile casing stuck in his leg, but was otherwise unharmed. They stopped in a nearby cave to clean up the wound as best as they could, but settled on binding Nick's leg with the shard still in it.

They traveled for a few more hours before eventually coming upon another cave, and decided to take the night to rest. Inside the cave, a figure in white held them at knife point, before Felix recognized her as Leora. She was furious with them for seemingly abandoning her, but Kai explained everything from the beginning, including his imprisonment, and the fight, before revealing to them that he wasn't what he said he was, and that he was human. Although they were forgiven, Leora insisted on continuing to Japan, where she was told that her parents were born. Kai relented, and the four of them continued along the path in the morning. Before long, Nick's condition vastly got worse, and they had to instead turn to the nearest mountain village.

There were medical supplies there, but the village elder refused to part with them, as they were being terrorized by a local warlord and needed them more. Kai then inspected and treated the wounded villagers, in exchange for being allowed access to their supplies. While he treated Nick, the warlord barged in with two of his thugs and demanded fresh grain from the villagers, as they had previously given him moldy grain. He attempted to cause Kai trouble, but the man stole a shotgun from one of the thugs and killed the lot of them. Surprisingly furious, the village elder informs him that he had just sealed their fate; the warlord had a band of thugs, all of which were no better than he was. Kai negotiated a night's stay in exchange for killing the thugs off. When he returned, the group agreed to return to Zootopia, as matters seemed to be getting worse by the day.

Back in Zootopia, Altair visited Vega, now the new Regulus, and asked for the virus her father had concocted to induce dementia. She initially threatened him, but when he promised to take her to Neal, who he insisted was alive and well, she agreed to come along. However, when he was looking the other direction, she jabbed him with a syringe of unknown contents, and told him that she would only cure him when she saw Neal. They first pay a visit to the Court lodge, but Chief Bogo's unfortunate timing causes her to get arrested.

In the following hours, Judy woke up in the military hospital. Altair asked to recruit her, citing her dead fiance as a reason, but she refused. When he left, she attempted to escape, but her attempt was thwarted. Altair, whose condition was progressively worsening, visited Regulus in prison, and begged for her antidote. When he revealed that he arrested Sirius, and that Sirius bit him ergo getting himself infected with whatever she gave him, she responded by smirking and telling him that the virus only affected rabbits. Satisfied with the knowledge, he had the guards beat her, before returning to Judy. From Judy's hospital room, he video called Regulus, and again asked for the antidote, showing off the newly sick Judy as his bargaining pin; however, Regulus still refused to part with it. Altair then resumed his regular matters, seeking his cure in another way. After unintentionally destroying the Secret Service Headquarters by attempting to dismantle a piece of human technology, he woke up in a hospital, surrounded by the Court's finest doctors. It was then that Altair received a phone call; Kai had returned to Zootopia, meaning he no longer had need for either Regulus or Judy. However, he kept his word that no harm would come to the latter, and began treating for the poison he used on her to fake the symptoms of his illness.

(At this point, I wrote a chapter for Altair's backstory, before he was inducted into the Court. I can't summarize it very well, so I'd recommend just giving it a read. I believe it's Chapter 41: Savage Times. It's not actually plot essential, but I think it's a good read.)

Kai made several demands before agreeing to cure Altair: first, that he release everyone he imprisoned in his coup, and second, that he step down from his position as the director of the Secret Service, ceding his position to Grace, instead. Altair takes him to the prison, where he talks with Regulus, and then Arcturus. After hearing that Neal was alive, Kai demanded to be taken to the fox. Altair initially hesitated, before agreeing. Kai left everyone except for Grace with Chief Bogo, before continuing on. However, before they could reach Neal's hospital room, Altair collapsed, nearly dead. Kai treated him, on the condition that he still uphold his bargain. The rabbit then showed them the white fox in the room, but before Kai could verify that it was Neal, Altair attempted to shoot him with a bullet made from plutonium. The bullet struck Grace instead, but before anyone could escape, Altair sealed the door to the room and set it to burn. After a lengthy monologue, he left them to die.

Kai managed to break out of the room, barely saving the other two as well. He was forced to perform emergency surgery on Grace to remove the bullet fragments, and plotted his escape. He got them out and onto a military truck, ordering Grace to drive to Chief Bogo and tell him of the events that had transpired. Kai then returned into the hospital to retrieve Judy, as well as Sirius, who was heavily injured during his arrest. He eventually succeeds, and takes them back to his bunker, before giving them proper medical treatment. Satisfied, he returned to the precinct to collect the rest of his team; there, he found out that Altair had arrested Lionheart, pinning the explosion at the Secret Service headquarters as a terrorist attack on him. Kai took his team to the bunker as well.

From there, he planned a trip to the Court lodge with Sirius. Using a new disguise, he attended the meeting, and discovered that the Court had built nuclear bombs on Altair's orders, with the intent to rule the world. The duo managed to get the potential location from Achernar, before returning to the bunker to plan. The following morning, Kai took Felix and Leora to the nearby military base, where Chief Bogo sent the rest of Kai's team to keep them from Altair. The commander of the base, and new head of military following Arcturus arrest, informed them that before his mentor's arrest, he was made the new Denebola. He reunited Kai's team, and tried go give them import records on the neighboring bases. However, he was denied access for only one base, which was the same that Achernar hinted at.

With their target now in sight, Kai equipped his team and set out. They managed to sneak in and rig the bomb to fail, but the basewide alarm went off. They escaped the building, but found themselves face to face with numerous gunners and a tank. Kai and Leora were injured, but the team managed to make it back to the bunker, their mission having been completed. However, during the raid, Kai was struck by a tank shell, and began feeling strange; he recruited Leora to perform surgery to remove a damaged microchip from his spine. Once removed, he began feeling emotions once more, and became significantly more amicable.

Now cured, Kai rallied his team once more to break into prison. He enlisted the warden's help in faking a fire drill, and managed to steal away the entire maximum security block. In addition to the imprisoned members of the Courts, he also released Former Mayor Dawn Bellwether. He then assembled everyone at the Court lodge, where he confronted Rigel. Rigel divulged that there was more than one bomb, which Kai destroyed with a precision missile strike.

Afterwards, Kai took Leora back into Zootopia, and together with Chief Bogo crashed the gala at City Hall. They incapacitated several agents, and Bogo stayed behind to ensure that they didn't die. Kai and Leora confronted Altair in the mayor's office, where Kai sustained minimal injuries and took the rabbit into custody, injecting him the same drug that he used to give dementia to so many of his political opponents.

After a lengthy press release, Kai took Chief Bogo to the Court lodge, where he got inducted as a member; Grace was also named the new Altair, and was proposed to by Sirius. When the meeting ended, Arcturus asked to be taken to his son's final resting place. Kai agreed, and with the rather insistent Leora, took the grizzly to the hill with the lone tree. After a brief argument between Leora and Arcturus regarding his son's death, Leora proclaims her love for Kai.

Weeks later, Nick and Judy finally got married. They were paid a visit by Kai, who had a gift and a seventh task for the fox: to raise a family of his own. Inside the gift was a device that would allow him and Judy to conceive a child, despite being two different species. Kai then visited Bellwether, who promised to be more open and to give second chances. Afterwards, he visited Jack Savage in the asylum, who now owned a room next to Leora's parents. The three were having tea, and invited him and Leora to stay. After a long conversation, but before the duo left, Kai promised to find a cure for the three mammals.

At the very end of the epilogue, it was revealed that Dawn Bellwether broke the rabbit out of the asylum, promising him a second chance at life.

(There was also a gaudy Christmas chapter, but I won't summarize it. I also think it's a worthwhile read, if you have a minute.)

* * *

 **Character Glossary:**

Note: Some members of the Astral Court have only been referred to by their Court name. If I ever decide to give them a real name, I'll update the chart. Until then, I'll just use what they've got. If a character isn't mentioned here, it's probably because they're not very important to the plot, or have a very minor role. In addition, these descriptions aren't too in-depth. For instance, I could have written that Prance joined the force to save his family name (as his father was a serial killer), but I find that motivations in character descriptions aren't actually that necessary. If I made a mistake and I missed a major character, please let me know so I can fix the chart.

Garrett "Kai" Sinclair: human, soldier, and assassin. Has strong ties to the Astral Court, and was previously Procyon before giving up his title to travel the world. He usually tries to get straight to the point, but occasionally enjoys a joke.

Leora: leopardess, SWAT officer. Former member of Kai's team. Has a troubled past, beginning when her parents, Arina and Taro, were rendered insane by the machinations of the Astral Court. Currently gallivanting around the world with Kai.

Neal Snowburrow: arctic fox, former SWAT sniper, and former member of Kai's team. Mate of Lyra Karahan, attempts to uphold a rather humorous personality.

Rufus Icehowl: arctic wolf, SWAT officer, and former member of Kai's team. Married, has a pup, and is generally content with his way of life.

Felix Shingis: snow leopard, SWAT officer, and former member of Kai's team. Rather crude, but extremely skilled at fighting.

Prance Insa: antelope, former police officer. He was a member of Kai's team, but an injury caused by a plan going awry led him to quit the force and begin investing and stock trading.

Bjorn Bjornson: polar bear, SWAT officer, and former member of Kai's team. A gentle giant, who lives a family life when he's not working.

Maximillian "Ian" Cynewulf: timberwolf. Member of the Astral Court, known as Sirius. He has a rather jovial personality, despite his line of work as a senator. He also manages a crime syndicate, and controls the heroin drug trade in the city. Married to Grace Cynewulf. After being spoiled by Kai, he enjoys beef jerky and belly rubs.

Grace Cynewulf: timberwolf. Member of the Astral Court, known as Altair. Director of the Zootopian Secret Service, and a top notch spy. Married to Sirius Cynewulf.

Lyra Karahan: fox. Member of the Astral Court, known as Regulus. Despite having achieved her doctorate specializing in advanced virology at a phenomenally young age, Lyra is often naive to the grim reality of things. Mate of Neal Snowburrow.

Aloysius Paddington: grizzly bear. Member of the Astral Court, known as Arcturus. Current head of the Zootopian Military. Nearly exclusively referred to by his Court name, as his given name is considered by many to be outdated and silly by modern standards.

Jack Savage: rabbit. Former member of the Astral Court, and was the previous Altair. After his attempted coup and attempt at world domination, Kai infected him with a virus that causes dementia and memory loss. Currently under the care of Dawn Bellwether.

'Rigel': white-tailed deer. Member of the Astral Court. President of Zootopia University, and a practicing doctor in both medicine and advanced physics. Rather vain attitude, and considered untrustworthy due to her past affiliations with Jack Savage.

'Denebola': coyote. Member of the Astral Court. Second-in-command of the Zootopian Military. Quiet and imposing, he played an instrumental part in stopping Jack Savage's coup.

'Atria': sheep. Member of the Astral Court, and head of the General Hospital in Zootopia. Although her sheepish nature often deters other mammals from speaking with her, she has earned everyone's respect by consistently being kind, regardless of species or social status.

'Achernar': giraffe. Member of the Astral Court. Chief historian of the Zootopian Archaeological Society, and head of human studies at the Court. While working, he is extremely professional, but informally between friends, he is very blunt and to the point. Good friends with Sirius.

'Antares': kangaroo. Member of the Astral Court. Owns a pharmaceutical firm.

Doctor Viverin: Member of the Astral Court, known as Alcor. Head of the Tundratown Asylum for the Mentally Ill. Despite seeming selfless, he is more often than not motivated by fear of punishment, rather than his own volition.


	2. Chapter 2

**Twenty Five Miles Outside of Zootopia  
Midnight**

Kai was throwing various curios into a pack as Leora looked through the numerous racks of clothing.  
"What do you think would look good on me?" she asked, holding several dresses to her chest, looking in the mirror.  
"You would look good in anything."  
"Garrett, I'm serious."  
"The red," he continued, not looking up.  
"You didn't even look!"  
"I know what the red dress looks like, and I know what you look like." He zipped up the bag, and took it to another part of the room.  
"You know, you never told me why this trip is urgent."  
"It troubles me, finding Vitya's name in that log. The longer I wait, the less chance he has of living. Granted, it's been six hundred years, but time is never my ally. I'm sorry this isn't what you had in mind for your vacation."  
"What I had in mind was gallivanting with you. Where doesn't particularly matter. I'm just curious, is all."  
"You probably remember that photograph of us four."  
"I do, why?"  
"Do you remember the story I told?"  
"Something about how he died in the last days of a war?"  
"Yes. Not only that, but I scattered his ashes."  
"And you're probably thinking this is like Neal, aren't you?"  
"Indeed; there is doubt in my mind. The thing is, I never saw the cremation. I was busy negotiating the terms of surrender. By the time I came back, he had already been through the local crematory."  
"So there's a chance?"  
"Yes; the problem is, it was a highly guarded caravan. Even if the entire army was conspiring to keep it a secret, Vitya never would have left me in the dark. Where could they take him that I couldn't find him, where he would also be unable to escape?"  
"Is it possible that someone else could have used his name?"  
"It is, but that's the more troubling scenario. Someone had to be smart enough to know how to impersonate him, both visually and personally. They would have also told their children, and passed the message for over ten centuries."  
"Or they could be immortal."  
"Even more troubling."  
"Either scenario could happen."  
"Which is why we need a plan."  
"What kind?" she asked, holding the door.  
"When we get there, I'm going to do a little sleuthing. Find any information I can."  
"I suppose I can ask in a few bars."  
"If the Niagara Crescent is anything like it was in my time, it's a den of smugglers hiding behind gullible tourists."  
"Smugglers?"  
"Selling those without a passport entrance into either country."  
"It is still on a border, so we can't rule out the possibility."  
"Two important points, then. First, it's not safe. We'll travel together."  
"I never suggested splitting up."  
"Second, someone has to have some information. Smugglers know everything."  
"Implying there are any still there."  
"No matter what happens, no matter who we find, you need to be careful."  
"Why? I have you."  
"If this is an immortal old enough to know Vitya on a personal level, he would have to be a very high ranking soldier. Officers were the only ones bred to last forever when he was still alive. If that's the case, I might not be able to protect you."  
"Seriously?"  
"As unlikely as it may be, it is a possibility." He threw her a small pistol. "Keep that."  
"It's… It doesn't even look like nine millimeter," she remarked, disappointed.  
"Cobalt munitions. Hollow point."  
"So this could kill you?"  
"With great power comes great responsibility. I trust you're responsible enough not to aim at me."  
"Why would I?"  
"In any case, it wouldn't kill me. It's not designed to do anything other than maim."  
"But I thought you said cobalt was highly radioactive."  
"Normally, weapons-grade cobalt is. It's very likely that it would kill me in sufficient quantities. Half a mortar worth of shrapnel, for instance. That cobalt is over a thousand years old. Any radiation it would have had is now gone; it has since decomposed into non-radioactive cobalt and nickel. Even if you somehow managed to miss and shoot me with all nine bullets, I could metabolize it into cobalamin, however painful it might be."  
"Cobalamin?"  
"Vitamin B12, if you still call it that."  
"That has cobalt?"  
"Yes."  
"And you can make it?"  
"Perfect in every way except for the attitude," he responded; she chuckled. "That little bit of me is spliced in from some bacteria and archaea."  
"So you're a chimera?"  
"Even I don't know where some parts of my genetics come from."  
"Any cat in you?" she inquired seductively.  
"Negligible. There's much more human in you than there is cat in me."  
She failed miserably at stifling her laughter.  
"You know that's not what I meant."  
"Meant it or not, you still said it."  
"Can this wait? We have to finish packing," he urged.  
"What's the big rush? I'm sure we can take our time."  
"We'll have plenty of time in Canada for dawdling, and whatever else you may wish to do."  
"Oh, I sure hope."  
"That reminds me, you still have to declare your vacation time."  
"I'll leave a message at the precinct."  
"You only have a month, right? No, we need more than that."  
"And how are you going to get it?"  
"I'm still waiting for a call from Arcturus. Do you know when Bogo goes to bed?"  
"I imagine he's sleeping already. Why?"  
"I'll give him a call."

* * *

 **Precinct One  
** **Downtown Zootopia**

Kai and Leora were currently occupying Chief Bogo's office while they were waiting for the phone call from Arcturus. Bogo walked in and sat himself behind his desk.  
"So," he began, staring them down. "Is there a reason that you called me all the way down here in the middle of the night?"  
"We came to negotiate," Kai began. "You owe her a month of vacation time."  
"She earned three weeks that she never used from the past two years."  
"How about you stretch that to three months?"  
"I suppose I don't have any say in the matter?"  
"Hell, you're her employer."  
"You came here just to piss me off, didn't you? You could have very well told me this back at the lodge, you could have just left me a message, and yet whenever you want to talk…" Bogo sighed. "Whatever. I have plenty of other monkeys behind typewriters to fill out paperwork. She was injured and just had surgery, so it's not like I can put her anywhere else."  
"Monkeys behind typewriters, meaning Neal?"  
Bogo paused, narrowing his gaze.  
"I assume he told you that he wasn't on SWAT anymore?"  
"For the strangest reasons, too. Something about 'insanity' and 'being inept'."  
"Alright, it's clear you want something."  
"Put him back on SWAT, and double his pay."  
"Oh, yes, of course!" he began, before standing and towering over his guests. "We're practically swimming in money," he gritted through his teeth.  
"So you'll do it?"  
"We're short-budgeted and short-staffed as is. I can't afford to promote anyone right now. I suppose you can go beg your senator friend, and then I'll see what I can do."  
"I'm sure you can do that just as well."  
"I wish I could arrest you, but apparently that would be a hate crime against an endangered species. You think I haven't tried raising the police budget numerous times already?"  
"Actually, yes. Not once have I heard any complaints about your police budget."  
"I won't promote him," Bogo stated firmly. "The question now is, what are you going to do about it?"  
"Oh, it's not what I _will_ do, it's what I already _have_ done."  
"And that is?"  
"I went into your computer system and changed his job title and his payroll. I also doubled the payrolls of the rest of my team."  
Bogo chuckled.  
"I'll just go change them back after you leave. Enjoy your three months."  
They stood, bowed slightly, and went for the door. Leora exited, but Kai paused in the doorway.  
"You might find that hard to do," he mentioned.  
"What do you mean?" the buffalo questioned, voice laden with unease.  
"I revoked all administrator access, save for one account."  
"You—!"  
"And that account happens to be mine. I'm sure you can petition for your budget now."  
He shut the door, ignoring the angry shouts from Bogo. They began walking down to the entrance.

Leora snickered.  
"You really enjoy pissing him off, don't you?"  
"You can call it a guilty pleasure."  
"Did you really fuck with the computer system that bad?"  
"I didn't actually change any payrolls, but Neal is on SWAT now."  
She chuckled.  
"My life is gonna be hell when we get back," Leora piped up. She held the door for him. They descended the steps of the precinct, stopping by the street. They stood quietly for several minutes.  
"Is there any reason we're outside?" she asked.  
"I was following you."  
"I was following you, too!"  
They glanced at each other before walking back inside. The pair sat quietly on the benches inside until the phone call came.  
"I've got a plane preparing. You two are still at the Downtown precinct, right?" Arcturus asked.  
"Yes."  
"Your ride should be waiting. I'll meet you on the plane."  
"On the plane?"  
"I don't get around enough. Besides, you two lovebirds have three months for alone time. I figured I would bother you for a few hours."  
"What's the real reason?"  
"Is it really that obvious?"  
"I've known you for long enough."  
"I need to talk. Sensitive matters. Sirius is also joining us."  
"I can put up with one of you for two hours, but both?" Kai joked.  
"It's very important."  
"I'm sure it is. Do you have drinks on that plane?"  
"What kind of private jet would it be if it didn't?"  
"Have a Manhattan waiting for me." He paused for a moment, staring at Leora.  
"Cosmo," she provided.  
"And a Cosmopolitan for the lady."  
"Anything else to go with that?" Arcturus inquired sarcastically.  
"Actually, I could go for a White Russian, while you're at it."  
"That isn't that drink with the milk that Sirius was telling me about, is it?"  
"I'm sure you can manage."  
Kai hung up, and the pair exited. As promised, there was a black limo waiting for them.  
"Flashy," Leora commented.  
"Perhaps needlessly so."  
The pair entered the car; Kai recognized the driver as Sirius' chauffeur.  
"Airport?" he asked.  
"Yes, please," they responded in unison.  
He took off at a rather fast speed; they reached the airport in less than fifteen minutes. After the driver flashed a badge, they were let into a private area on the runway. They stopped just before a magnificent private airplane. Kai tipped the lion several hundred bucks, and the duo exited.

"Welcome!" Sirius shouted from the top of the plane's stairs.  
"Rather extravagant setup. Is it yours?"  
"I wish. No, the jet belongs to Arcturus. We have drinks, come aboard."  
Kai and Leora climbed the stairs into the plane, whereupon they stowed their bags and took seats at a table in the middle of the aircraft. There were drinks waiting for them on the table. Kai picked up and carefully sloshed the drink in his hands, inspected it, and took a sip. The cream was fake, but he didn't expect any different. Arcturus was nowhere to be found, but Sirius assured that he was talking with the pilot. Before long, the plane took off and soared into the air. Eventually, once they were at cruising altitude, Arcturus went into the cabin and took a seat by them.

"You said you had business to discuss?" Kai asked, turning to face the wolf and the bear.  
"I assume you remember Jack," Arcturus started.  
"Naturally."  
"When you left, he threw everything into disarray. Sirius and I both share the valid concern that the same will happen again."  
"I was gone for a month in Siberia and nothing happened."  
"I would hardly call that deception and nearly two hundred dead 'nothing'. Besides, after what you did, the rest of the Court grows uneasy."  
"Uneasy is uneasy. I'll be worried if they become bold."  
"Sooner or later, someone will."  
"That is an uncertainty that I am willing to gamble."  
"Gambling only works out when you have five aces. You're hardly sitting on seven high."  
"Why do you think I've tried to keep my humanity a secret? Knowledge changes everything. Some, like Sirius, for the better. Others, like Savage, for the worse. As long as the Court is ignorant, then the worst that will happen is a few hundred dead."  
"I suppose you will not see my side of this argument."  
"I see it; I also believe that it will not be a problem."  
"And if it is?"  
Kai withdrew a small device from his pack and gave it to the grizzly.  
"Then you call me."  
"I have your number."  
"That may be true, but I expect to go places without reception."  
Sirius snatched the device from Arcturus and began looking it over.  
"So you give us a cool space phone?" he inquired, intrigued by the contraption.  
"It's an ansible. Only use it in emergencies."  
Sirius pushed the button, and Kai's device rang.  
"Yes?" he asked in a very strained, thoroughly annoyed voice.  
"There's no jerky on this plane."  
"You only get maybe twenty calls and you decide that this is an emergency?"  
The wolf shrugged, before cowering lower and lower as Kai leaned closer and closer.  
"Twenty calls?" Arcturus asked.  
"It uses quantum entanglement to transmit messages. Once one particle in a pair is forced into a state, the second particle is, as well. Once there are no more to force, however…"  
"No more calls."  
"Precisely, which is why I gave it to you." He took the device back and gave it to the bear once more, before taking a seat by Leora. "You've been rather quiet."  
"It's just business, what can I say?" she remarked.  
"Well then, how about instead of business, we have a little fun? It's never too early to start vacation, after all.  
"There should be some champagne in the back," Sirius piped up. "Care to get it?"  
Kai downed his drink and walked to the rear of the plane, closing the door behind himself.  
"Alright Leora, I need to ask you something," Sirius spoke as soon as the man was gone. "Achernar and I have been dying to know."  
"Isn't Achernar the giraffe that spends all of his time in the basement of your Court building?"  
"That's the one. Have you met?"  
"Once. He was too busy with his studies to be an interesting mammal."  
"Well, about that: he spent most of his life studying humans in every facet. Their biology, their nature, and so on. He refers to himself as an 'anthropologist', whatever that means. He claims it's someone that studies humans, but I doubt it."  
"And?"  
"You and your boyfriend, have you… you know." Sirius made a rather crude gesture with the intent to depict intercourse.  
"You dirty lech! I don't see how that's related, or why it's any of your business to begin with."  
"Years of research, and the only thing Achernar doesn't know is their mating habits! Arcturus, back me up!"  
"I'm not getting dragged into this conversation," Arcturus hastily deflected.  
"Alright, I'll negotiate. What are you willing to offer me?" Leora inquired, leaning back and kicking her legs onto the table, inspecting her claws nonchalantly.  
"What do you want?"  
"I want to watch you go at it with Grace."  
"Excuse me?"  
"And I want a video copy, too."  
"That's… rather demeaning."  
"I want her to peg you." She produced a sinister grin.  
"That's where I draw the line, I don't swing that way. Besides, you were calling me a lecher not ten seconds ago."  
"It takes two to tango, as they say."  
Sirius buried his head in one paw, contemplating deeply.  
"Fine. Achernar owes me big."  
"Wow, I didn't actually expect you to say yes," Leora admitted. "I just thought of the most preposterous thing I could."  
"So you don't want it, then?"  
"Oh, I'm still expecting it."  
"Fuck. Fine, he left me a list of questions, let's see." Sirius withdrew a small list and a pen from inside of his suit pocket. "First things first—"  
Just then, Kai walked back into the cabin, champagne bottle and flutes in arms.  
"Did I miss anything?" he inquired, setting the goblets down and filling them.  
"No, nothing at all!" Sirius hastily responded.  
"You weren't discussing… personal matters?"  
"Wha—No. Nothing at all."  
"Arcturus?"  
"Just idle chatter," the bear affirmed.  
Kai eyed them suspiciously, before also taking a seat. He took a sip of champagne.  
"You know, if you were so curious, you could have asked. I would have given you an anatomy textbook."  
Sirius spit out his champagne, and the pallor in his face became very apparent.  
"You knew?"  
"I can hear the wings of the birds outside of this plane. You think I can't hear you ten paces away?"  
"Shit!" he exclaimed. "All I had to do was ask?"  
"Yep."  
"I was worried you would think that I was—"  
"Was what? An idiot? I already know that you're slightly stupid. A pervert? I could have surmised as much anyways."  
"So that means you'll just give me the book?"  
"Yes."  
"Alright! I don't have to bend over backwards for her."  
"Backwards? Perhaps not. Forwards, however…"  
"What?! You can't be serious!"  
"No, I believe you are Sirius."  
Sirius groaned and slammed his head into the table.  
"Either way, you always dig yourself into holes and expect me to drag you out of them. Maybe this will teach you not to dig those holes to begin with."  
Arcturus burst out laughing.  
"Hey Sirius, I'll pay for a copy of that video once you make it," he interjected.  
"I'm not making shit!" the wolf retorted.  
"You are many things, Sirius, but you are not dishonest."  
The wolf scowled, but eventually sighed.  
"Grace is gonna kill me. Fine, but you had better give me some damn good answers. I suppose anatomy is in your book, so… behavior. How does he woo you?"  
"I beg your pardon?" Leora stated.  
"Don't make me reword it, please."  
"He doesn't."  
"Wait, really?"  
"Unlike most members of the male gender, he isn't interested in sex."  
Sirius glanced at Kai, who slowly sipped his champagne.  
"But you have done it?" the wolf insisted.  
"Maybe."  
"Don't give me that 'maybe' shit, not with how you're extorting me."  
"It's just pegging!"  
"I already told you that I don't like that!"  
"Really?" Kai pondered. "I don't seem to recall that being the case."  
"What makes you say that?"  
"There was that one time a few years ago when you drank a bottle of wine, two beers, a fifth of vodka, and dropped three tabs of acid, before—"  
"HEY, HEY! WE DON'T SPEAK ABOUT THAT!" Sirius shouted, interrupting him.  
"Is there a story here that I'm missing?" Arcturus asked.  
"Oh, he was wasted," Kai began, before Sirius clamped his paw over the man's mouth.  
"We. Do. Not. Speak. Of. That," he hissed. "Now, where were we? I believe Leora was about to answer my question in an acceptable manner."  
"Maybe once or twice a month, and only when I beg him enough."  
"Wait, she begs you?!" Arcturus exclaimed, astonished.  
"I do what makes her happy, but as you know, I'm not a 'people person'. Sometimes she begs when I get a little oblivious," Kai responded plainly.  
"Alright," Sirius continued. "Wow, Achernar is horribly specific and vulgar with these questions. How long do these… sessions… last?"  
"Is that his wording?" Kai inquired, curious.  
"No, he was much more blunt about it. 'Duration of fucking' in his handwriting."  
"And here I thought he was a scholar."  
"The list was made for me, it's not going in a book like that. Anyways, how long?"  
"One, maybe two hours," Leora answered.  
Both Sirius and Arcturus stopped what they were doing to stare at Kai.  
"Hours?" Sirius inquired, wanting to be sure.  
"Hours," she affirmed. After seeing their stares, she amended her statement. "Well, not hours, per se. Some of that time is spent on other things."  
"Correct me if I'm wrong Arcturus," Sirius interrupted, "But you have experience with felines, correct?"  
"I suppose I do. I was with a lioness for a good many years."  
"I've heard rumors that they are rather… wild. Especially in their quirks."  
Arcturus let loose a light chuckle.  
"Indeed they are."  
"How does he not break his baculum?" Sirius asked of Leora.  
"Can't break what you don't have," Kai responded in her stead.  
"You… don't have a bone in your junk?" Both Sirius and Arcturus stared incredulously.  
"Why would I?"  
"Well how else are you supposed to get it in?!"  
"So let me get this straight: you unearth hundreds of complete skeletons, and thousands more incomplete, and don't find one baculum, but you assume I would have one anyways?"  
"Well… yeah, every land mammal except for marsupials, elephants, hyenas, rabbits, and possibly a couple more that I'm forgetting, has one. I assumed you didn't belong to any of the aforementioned groups. I mean damn, it's called a boner for a reason."  
"Every species has their own gimmick."  
"Meaning?"  
"Canines have knots, felines have spines… We don't have bones in ours."  
"I don't understand."  
"Read the book, I implore you."  
Sirius uttered a groan of frustration.  
"Now, if you're done with the questions," Kai continued, "Perhaps we could talk about more civil matters."  
"An apt time to change the direction of this conversation," Arcturus interjected. "How about your trip? Your itinerary, rather."  
"Finally," Leora breathed a sigh of relief. "At least you have some sense, unlike doggy dog here."  
"What do you mean, no sense?" Sirius spoke, insulted.  
"Normal mammals don't pry into their friends' sex lives, least of all to fulfill the curiosity of some random giraffe."  
"Achernar is a rather good friend of mine—"  
"But not mine. Ergo, random giraffe."  
Sirius sulked in his seat and fell silent.  
"First things first," Kai began, "We're going to follow a lead in Niagara. Hopefully we'll find who we're looking for."  
"If not?"  
"We'll go sightseeing around town, and after that we'll probably fly to Japan. Maybe travel a bit from there. Three months, tops."  
"Three months is quite a bit. After all, your previous adventures in their entirety took place in around the same length of time."  
"I was imprisoned for two months of that time."  
"Yes, but a lot can happen in three months. If something happens back in Zootopia, you might not be able to get here right away."  
"I gave you an ansible for a reason. Call me if anything's wrong, and I'll tell you where you can pick us up."  
"Very well. Oh, and one more thing?"  
"Yeah?"  
"About that story…"  
Sirius' eyes went wide, and he glared daggers at Kai.  
"I'll fax you the details."  
"Fax?!" Sirius raged. "Why not just publish it in the news!"  
"I was only joking. I wouldn't spare a secret of yours like that." Arcturus laughed. "And even if he did, I wouldn't have listened. I value our camaraderie far more than any big, fat juicy secrets you might be sitting on. And by secrets, you should know that I mean—"  
"We get it!" Sirius muttered. "Why don't you go check on the pilot? I'm sure I have business in the alcohol cabinet in the back, as well. Besides, the cat looks like she wants a moment alone with her partner."  
"I suppose. We have around twenty minutes of flight left, anyways," the grizzly agreed. The pair went their separate ways, leaving only Kai and Leora in the cabin.  
"So, we're landing soon," she remarked.  
"Yup."  
"What's the first thing we're gonna do?"  
"Find a place to stay. Then, we ask around."  
"We aren't taking them with us, are we?"  
"No."  
"Thank God. That was a rather… uncomfortable conversation."  
"It was, but I can't blame Sirius for being an idiot."  
Arcturus peeked his head back in the cabin.  
"We'll be touching down in about fifteen more minutes," he announced.  
Leora finished her champagne.  
"I can't wait," she responded.  
"Oh, one more thing. You're not extorting Sirius."  
"I never intended to."  
"I do like the thought of pretending that you will. It makes it more fun that way."  
"You're unbelievable, do you know that?"  
"You bet I do."  
"If I may ask, what were you about to say when Sirius shut you up? Right after he insisted that he 'doesn't swing that way'?"  
"He got wasted and had the entire male rugby team at Zootopia University shave him."  
She giggled.  
"And?"  
"And nothing. They just shaved him and smeared him in baby oil. He managed to get rid of most of the evidence, but I have a few pictures of him sliding down the halls. If I had to guess, I'd say they were bowling and he was the ball."  
Leora began laughing.  
"You'll have to show me."  
"Sure thing."

Before long, the plane landed in an airport along the coast of what Kai identified as old Toronto. Arcturus accompanied them through the gates, flashing a badge when the need arrived to waive them through security.  
"A lot of wolves," Leora observed. Sure enough, nearly every one of the thousands of mammals in the building, save for only a handful, were wolves.  
"Of course," Arcturus explained. "Rouille is the city of wolves."  
"Diversity Our Strength, huh?" Kai muttered.  
"What was that?"  
"Nothing important."  
Arcturus handed them a piece of paper.  
"My personal recommendations in the city. This is where I must leave you. I hope you enjoy your vacation."  
"Thank you," Leora responded. The pair bid him farewell and exited through the gates. Once they were out on the street, Kai scrutinized the paper.  
"He recommends the hotel on Main Street, and some restaurant called 'The Blue'."  
"Oh, I always heard good things about The Blue. I'll have to look it up for details, but I think it's one of those really upscale ones. I doubt you'll get a reservation, no matter how much money you throw."  
"I'm sure I can."  
"I'd settle for something less, to be honest. Something about upscale restaurants is just too pretentious for me."  
"You're just saying that, aren't you?"  
She shrugged. They soon came upon a small building, tucked away in the corner.  
"This is it," Kai stated.  
"Rather small, isn't it?"  
"It's worth a try, right?"  
"Well, you know what they say: size isn't everything."  
Kai groaned.

The pair entered the small hotel and approached the front desk.  
"One room, two beds," Kai spoke to the employee standing there. The wolf nodded and typed into the computer, before retrieving a key from the back wall and giving it to him.  
"Room number's on the key. First number is the floor," the clerk responded.  
He called Leora, and they went to the stairs.  
"Two beds?" she asked, slightly disappointed.  
"I don't plan on sleeping much these first few days, I didn't want to wake you by getting in and out of bed."  
"I don't really mind."  
"We can push them together."  
"We could have just gotten one bed."  
"Next time, you can choose any room you like."  
"You bet I will."  
They found their room and started to unpack; it was rather lavish in decor, and was of a reasonable size. Leora pushed on one of the beds to move it closer to the other, but found she couldn't move it. When she leaned down to inspect the cause, she discovered that it was fastened to the floor.  
"Nice. They're bolted."  
"We'll figure something out. In the meantime, you should get some rest. It's already past three in the morning, and you look exhausted."  
"You worded that like you're not going to sleep."  
"I'm going to go ask the front desk a few questions. I'd like to get this out of the way while you're asleep so we can try to enjoy ourselves during the day."  
"I give you ten minutes."  
"Ten minutes, and no more," he promised. "However, no matter what, you can't leave here until I come back."  
"Alright."  
He put his coat on and exited.

Leora leaned back and closed her eyes. After what seemed to her like an inordinate length of time, she sat up and glanced at the clock. Nearly an hour had passed, and Kai had still not returned. She slowly got up, rubbed her eyes, grabbed her jacket, and went downstairs for the front desk. She approached the concierge, who spared her an idle glance, before returning his gaze to his phone.  
"Have you seen a wolf recently, maybe an hour ago?" she inquired.  
"I see a lot of wolves."  
"White, green eyes, walks funny?"  
"Oh, he's a strange one. Badgered me about someone he was looking for, and asked for the closest bar."  
"Where did you direct him?"  
He looked her up and down.  
"You're obviously no stranger to altercations, but this is no place for cats, least of all at this hour."  
"Just tell me where you sent him."  
"It's called the White Oak Tavern. Two blocks down the road. I'd not go there, were I you."  
Leora ignored his advice and set out for the location given by the concierge. She hurried along the sidewalk alone, before reaching the dimly-lit and rather noisy establishment. She opened a door and entered; immediately, the entire crowd stopped whatever they were doing to stare at her. Looking around revealed that she was the only feline, let alone non-wolf in the tavern.

Leora moseyed up to the bar and took a seat. All eyes were still on her.  
"Shot of rye whiskey," she spoke. The wolf in the apron behind the counter quickly filled a glass and set it on the counter before her. "One more thing. I'm looking for a wolf: white, green eyes, walks with a strut."  
"Never seen him in my life. Finish your drink and pay."  
"What do you have against me?"  
"I don't have to have anything against you to want you out."  
She scowled, but downed the shot, dropped a bill on the table, and stood to leave nonetheless. As she walked to the door, someone tripped her; she fell onto a table, spilling the drinks placed there onto their owners. As she picked herself up, the drenched wolves stood to surround her.  
"I'm sorry," she muttered sheepishly, attempting to leave. The largest wolf grabbed her shoulder.  
"Sorry doesn't cut it."  
"Someone tripped me!"  
"Don't care."  
A brown wolf with amber eyes approached them, and grabbed Leora by the arm. She tried to slap him, but he caught her wrist.  
"Please forgive her," a rather familiar voice spoke. "She didn't mean it. Did she?"  
"N-no," she responded.  
"I told you not to leave your room," he scolded. "I agreed to take you on your parents' will because I respected them, and you turn around and do this."  
He dropped several hundred dollars on the table.  
"Have another round, on me," he continued.  
He dragged Leora out; they walked silently until they reached the hotel room.  
"Parent's will?"  
"I was worried you wouldn't take the hint."  
"I'm not an idiot."  
"But you did leave after I asked you not to."  
"You said you would be ten minutes," she protested.  
"I told you not to come along for a reason."  
"Why?"  
"If something went wrong and they called the police, I can just change my appearance." He turned the disguise back to that of a white wolf to prove his point. "You, on the other hand… A leopard can't change its spots, no more than a tiger can change its stripes."  
"Well, technically there's elective surgery for that."  
"You know what I mean. I don't want us to be on the run from the authorities less than six hours into our vacation." He went back for the door. "I still had unfinished business. Go to bed. I'll be back before you know it."  
"Fine."  
He closed the door. Soon after, she dozed off.

When she awoke, she quickly shot up and looked around. Everything was as she left it, with the exception of the bed to her left. It had been pushed up to hers; lying in it was, as promised, Kai. He was still more-or-less in the attire he wore the previous night, minus the coat and the boots. She shuffled over until she was on his bed, and rested her head on him.  
"What time is it?" he inquired.  
"About seven," she answered.  
"Ready to go?"  
"When did you get back?"  
"Maybe an hour ago."  
"Don't you want to sleep more?"  
"I'm fine."  
"I'm sure you can technically live with ten minutes of sleep a night, but are you sure you don't want to get a little more?"  
"Daylight is burning."  
"The sun isn't even up yet."  
"It's March in Toronto, how is the sun not up yet?" He got up to look out of the window. The sun was above the horizon, but was blocked by a taller building immediately adjacent their hotel. "Oh. That's how."  
"How did you move the bed?" she inquired, pulling him back onto the mattress.  
"I unbolted it."  
"Did you find anything useful at the bar?"  
"Unfortunately, no." He noticed how she was curled up next to him. "Alright, one more hour. After that, how would you like to see the falls?"

* * *

 **Several Hours Later**

The pair were standing on a walkway several hundred feet from the base of the falls. Leora was leaning heavily against the rails, staring at the water rushing over the edge of the cliffs.  
"Were they anything like this when you were young?" she inquired.  
"Well, they were about a mile and a half that way," Kai responded, pointing over his shoulder. "Other than that, not really."  
"Mile and a half?"  
"They erode a little over a meter a year. Two and a half thousand years…"  
"Right."  
"Want to get closer?"  
"This is the closest walkway."  
"There's a path over there."  
"It says 'No Admittance'."  
"You're going to let that stop you?"  
"I like the way you think," she replied, smirking.  
They inconspicuously ducked behind the crowd and through the barricade. The path along the falls was rocky and slippery, but they managed to inch closer over time. After nearly an hour of scaling, they reached the top of the falls. From their vantage, they could see the outline of the entire city.  
"What a view…" Leora breathed.  
"Heh, the last time I was at the top of the falls, I could see the CN Tower poking through the fog. It's a shame it wasn't rebuilt by mammals. I would have been interested in the architecture, knowing how half of the buildings in Zootopia look."  
"CN Tower?"  
"I can take you there, if you want. What's left of it, at least."  
"I'd love that, but we just barely got here. Maybe in a little while."  
"In that case, care for a swim?" he inquired, pointing to a small pool of water isolated from the current.  
"Are you kidding? It's almost freezing out."  
"You have fur."  
"You don't."  
"I'd die of starvation long before I'd freeze."  
"Maybe some other time. I'm happy with just the view."  
Kai shrugged, and sat near the edge of the waterfall. Leora quickly joined him in watching the skyline.  
"It's a shame we didn't bring a picnic," she spoke.  
"Well, I did get us a reservation at the Prussian Blue downtown."  
"You what?" she asked in disbelief, eyes beaming. "A reservation?"  
"Is that really so unbelievable?"  
"The Blue is so famous that it's nearly impossible! While you were gone, I did some sleuthing, and I read online that some mammals spend thousands on a trip to get there! How could you possibly have gotten a reservation on such short notice?"  
"We'll just call it magic."  
She pulled him into a hug.  
"Thank you," she mentioned.  
"Now that I think about it, I have no idea why it's called the 'Prussian Blue', especially considering Prussia is no longer a nation. Prussia means nothing out of context, so someone had to know some history. A lot of history; hell, it wasn't even a nation when I was young. It dissolved four hundred years before I was born."  
"Why is the color called Prussian blue, then?"  
"It was called that because it was invented in Prussia. It's cyanide and iron, which was cheaper than mining lapis lazuli for ultramarine."  
"Is that the day's history lesson?" she teased.  
"No, we'll save that for the tower."  
As if on cue, her stomach rumbled. "Maybe after lunch."  
"I'd say it's closer to brunch time."  
"Same thing."

They descended the cliff face and managed to merge into the crowd without attracting undue attention. After a lengthy trip, they returned to their hotel room.  
"Looks like you finally get to wear that dress," he remarked, as she was undressing.  
"Speaking of which, I never saw you pack a suit."  
"Who needs a suit when you have uniform?" he responded, pulling out a regal dress from his pack.  
She laughed.  
"You manage to surprise me every time. I never even saw that."  
"Because it wasn't important. We're wired to only pay attention to the important, the out of the ordinary."  
"I guess it's important now, then."  
"Well, you did notice it."  
She grinned widely, before turning around.  
"Zip me up. And _don't_ get my fur caught this time."  
"Easier said than done." As usual, the zipper pinched several hairs, and she yelped.  
"You did that on purpose!"  
"Maybe."  
She gently punched his shoulder and they both laughed it off. Once Kai had dressed, they exited and began walking along the sidewalk. Before long, they reached a magnificent building, adorned with a gilded bas-relief depicting grassy tundra with mountains in the background, and wolves on all fours in the foreground.  
"Man, wolves are so vain," Kai remarked, holding the door for Leora.  
"They're pack mammals, they think highly of their packmates," she responded.  
They walked to the greeter.  
"Reservation for Ian," Kai stated.  
"Right this way," the greeter responded, showing them to one of the more lavish, private tables in the rear, before leaving them alone.  
"Ian?" Leora asked.  
"Sirius set up the reservation."  
"How much?"  
"I reimbursed him, don't worry. Some thousand dollars or so to kick someone else off of the list." He picked up the menu and glanced it over. "The most expensive item is an insect?"  
"Yeah, apparently the tree lobster fetches a pretty penny. It's illegal to serve unless you have a license."  
"If I recall, the tree lobster was extinct."  
"Yeah, but so were humans."  
"Touche."  
They looked over the menus again.  
"I dare you to eat it," Leora spoke casually.  
"What?"  
"I dare you to eat the tree lobster."  
"I'd really rather not. Insects have a rather unsavory taste and a horrible texture."  
"You've eaten them before?"  
"Not them specifically, but… You read my biography, right?"  
"Only the first couple of pages."  
"The second trial in the Winter Travail. The torture. They didn't give us food. Instead, they let bugs and roaches crawl around. Anything we could catch was fair game."  
"Gross!"  
"Yeah, I can still feel the crunch of the exoskeleton, followed by that signature gush of their insides."  
"So you can't handle gushing?"  
"For God's sake, I just want one day without horrible sexual innuendo."  
She giggled.  
"Fine."  
"Thank you."  
A waiter stopped at their table, and set water down.  
"Can I interest you two in some wine?" he inquired, taking out a pad of paper.  
"White wine, probably," Leora spoke. "Your recommendation."  
The wolf scribbled some notes down.  
"Do you know what you'll order?"  
"I haven't had good fish in a while," she responded.  
"I love the fish here," the waiter answered. "But it's brunch; I'll have to ask the chef if he's willing to prepare it."  
"That's fine."  
"In that case, which dish?"  
"Lemon herb salmon."  
"A classic."  
"Do you have lobster?" Kai asked.  
"I should warn you, the tree lobster is rather expensive, even for the Blue."  
"Real lobster," he amended.  
"Oh, my mistake. Odd choices for brunch."  
"With garlic butter sauce on the side, if you could."  
"Garlic what?"  
Kai sighed.  
"I forgot. Just press a clove of garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice into a cup of oil."  
"Sure thing."  
He absconded with the menus, leaving them alone again.  
"Garlic butter?" Leora asked.  
"One of the many luxuries I will never have again."  
"You could just make it, right?"  
"I could, but it's just not the same."  
"I thought you could make anything."  
"Knowing is half of the flavor. If I know it's fake, it will taste different."  
"You're insatiable." She took a sip of the water. "Tell me more about this tower."  
"I wouldn't know it as anything other than a tourist trap. It was built in the late twentieth century for telecommunications, but after advancements, they built an observation deck and a restaurant. After Toronto was firebombed in the middle of the twenty-first century, they rebuilt it. Actually, they rebuilt it two more times after that."  
"Why?"  
"It was a piece of the city's history. Which reminds me, I have a surprise to show you when we get there."  
"What kind of surprise?"  
"If I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise."  
"Just a hint?"  
"The last time I gave you a hint, you guessed immediately that we were going to meet up with your buddies at the military base."  
"Damn, now I'll be dying to know what it is the entire meal and the walk there."  
"It's not that far from here. It's certainly shorter than to the falls."  
"I hope so."  
Their waiter returned with wine.  
" _Vino Blanco_ , bottled four years ago," he spoke, showing them the bottle before pouring each of them a glass.  
"What did the chef say about our options?" Leora asked. "Do we have to choose actual brunch?"  
"Consider yourselves lucky," he responded. "He nearly refused to prepare dinner entrees for brunch. When I told him that you were the day's VIPs, he bent over backwards."  
"We're the day's VIPs?" Kai inquired.  
"You are Ian Cynewulf, right? The Zootopian senator?"  
"For the sake of eating today, let's say yes."  
"You didn't steal the reservation, did you?" the wolf questioned, with a gaze of scrutiny.  
"Actually, he set it up for us."  
"You had a senator get you a reservation?"  
"We're friends."  
Their server chuckled.  
"Your food is almost ready," he spoke, walking off.

They conversed idly until their food arrived. When it did, Leora rubbed her paws together excitedly.  
"Dinner for the lovely VIP couple," their server spoke, setting the plates on the table. "Enjoy!"  
He left them alone. Leora flaked off a small chunk of her fish and sampled it, nodding in approval.  
"It's really good; wanna try?"  
"Maybe later. I have to open this lobster, because for whatever reason, the chef couldn't do it himself."  
"There won't be any later."  
"That's fine." He picked up the red crustacean in his hands and tore the shell in half, letting the meat fall out onto his plate.  
"You have to teach me how to do that."  
"When we get back home. Interestingly enough, it's the same way that you rip someone's spine in half."  
She contorted her face in disgust.  
"Can you not talk like that when we're eating?"  
"What would you rather talk about?"  
"Maybe you can give me that history lesson now."  
"What would you like to know?"  
"Just start from the beginning. Your life, if you will."  
"That's a very lengthy tale."  
"Alright, then. From your winter trial, to when you first met Vitya."  
"That was hardly a week, and it was mostly waiting around."  
"Tell me about how you met him."  
Kai smiled.  
"After I passed the Travail, the Master enrolled me, along with several of his other pet projects, into some assassin's school."  
"They have schools for that?"  
"It was more of a hitman training camp. They weren't uncommon."  
"Is that where you became friends?"  
"Actually, no. I spoke with him once, during an exercise, but we didn't see each other for a long time after that; years, perhaps. He got the highest marks, and I got the second highest. That always infuriated me, but looking back, he was well deserving of it."  
"How many times do I need to rephrase the question," she asked, laughing. "How did you get to know him?"  
"That's a different story indeed. We were in the military academy, a couple of years later. He and I were both in the leadership program. For the final test, he and I were pitted against each other, and he conceded defeat before we even started. Not long after that, he approached me and congratulated me for beating him. I was so pissed off at his smug look, but I decided to get a drink with him. The rest is history."  
"History that I don't know."  
"We did all sorts of things together. First, we were stationed in the East for assassin work. He was my fight club buddy."  
"Why were you doing assassin work after going through military school?"  
"It was for the tactics and strategy, more than actual warfare. We would eventually do both, but that was a ways off."  
"Fair enough. What was this fight club?"  
"He would bet ludicrous sums on me, and I would win the fights. We cleaned them out, before they eventually stopped taking bets on me; after that, they refused to let me fight."  
"And then you did military work?"  
"We were precision executioners for quite a while. Eventually, the Master decided that he wanted more than just single target elimination. He told me to make an army; I did. However, he wasn't very happy with my choices for high leadership. He was afraid that I would revolt against him. Maybe I should have."  
"If you did, I wouldn't be here."  
"Fair point. He restricted my closest allies from holding any position higher than field officers; colonel, major, all of that."  
"Was war all you did after that?"  
"We moonlighted as hitmen for a few missions, but for the most part, yes. We fought in three wars together, before he died. After that, a couple more wars, and here I am."  
"Any funny stories?" she inquired, finishing her meal.  
"You're already done eating, but I've been running my mouth for a while; the lobster's probably cold by now. Maybe after we visit the Tower."  
"Fair enough."  
He quickly scrambled to finish his plate of lobster, before standing.  
"Let's go see that tower," he spoke, offering his hand; she took it, standing as well.

Kai placed a stack of bills on the table, leaving a hefty tip. They left the restaurant, making bearing for the waterfront.  
"So," Leora began. "What's this surprise?"  
"I'll show you when we get there," Kai responded slyly.  
She frowned.  
"You're no fun."  
Before long, they reached a long, rocky shore.  
"I would have preferred sand," she admitted, treading carefully so as not to cut her paws.  
"It's only a mile and a half from here."  
"A mile?!" She glanced at the rocks, and to Kai, grinning. "Carry me?"  
He laughed, and picked her up in his arms. They went along the shore until they were no longer surrounded by buildings; only the rocks at their feet kept them company. They continued until the businesses and homes were small silhouettes indistinguishable from the trees in the horizon.

Eventually, he set her down on the rocks.  
"What's the surprise?" she asked.  
He fell to one knee. She immediately covered her mouth in shock, and began crying.  
"Why are you crying?"  
"I do! Of course I do!" she shouted, hugging him.  
"What?" He looked around, and then to himself. "Oh, it kind of looks like I'm proposing, doesn't it?"  
The happiness drained from her face, and she slapped him.  
"You—!"  
"I'm sorry to disappoint, but the surprise is here," he continued, pointing to the ground.  
"A… sewer cover?"  
"Not quite. Look at the scuff marks." He motioned around; a lot of dirt was kicked up, as if someone had entered and left repeatedly. "I bet a lot of wolves go through here. They probably have no idea what's really down here."  
"What's really down there?" Leora asked, worried.  
"Nothing dangerous." He lifted it and pulled it aside, before jumping down. "I'll catch you!"  
She jumped down as well, landing in his arms. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw only winding hallways.  
"Doesn't look like a sewer," she commented, sniffing at the air. "Certainly doesn't smell like one."  
"The third time they rebuilt the CN Tower, they built a bunker beneath it. Enough for the maximum occupancy of the tower, and then a thousand more."  
"Why?"  
"With the last war came trying times, and the threat of more war. In fact, this place was one of the last bunkers on my list to visit."  
They walked through the winding hallways until Kai stopped at a rather plain spot in the wall. He reached his hand straight through the concrete, whereupon it passed through.  
"Neat, huh?"  
"Why is this one entrance disguised?" Leora asked, also running her paw through.  
"We're in the general purpose bunker. Down there is an old war bunker. They disguised it as a security measure.  
They both walked through; on the other side was a power door, and on its frame a keypad with several scanners. Kai punched in a code that seemed far too long to remember, before pressing his palm against the print scanner. The door whooshed open, revealing a dimly lit staircase.  
"Why did that open for you?" she asked, amazed.  
"On orders from a higher-up, I installed a backdoor in the event we needed to enter."  
"I'm not sure if I'm more impressed that you succeeded, or that the door still works."  
"The door will last forever, but the lights should have been out by now." He tapped one of the bulbs unceremoniously, before beginning his descent. "Either way, there was a research lab here."

He led her down the hallway, to a door on the left. It opened for them; inside were numerous large machines, none of which appeared to be operational.  
"What's that in the corner?" Leora asked cautiously.  
"Looks like a metal endoskeleton," he responded, glancing at the bone-like structure. "They worked on advanced robotics. You can see the logic chips in the tube next to the computer."  
"It's still creepy."  
"It won't hurt you."  
They continued out of the lab into the next room; it was large and empty, with numerous shelves where food used to be stored. The interior of the room was scorched immensely, with several shelves collapsed near the rear.  
"Empty, it figures. They must have accidentally burned their stores a long time ago."  
"It kinda smells in here," Leora commented, scrunching her nose.  
"Maybe the sewage system is leaking somewhere. It could be the ashes."  
"No, not that kind of smell. It almost smells like rotten food."  
They followed the scent further into the room. One one of the undamaged shelves were several dozen jars of baby food. Two of them were opened, and one appeared to be spoiled.  
"What is that stuff?" she inquired.  
"Baby food. Only one is spoiled..."  
"You have special food for your kittens?"  
"We call them children, but yes. They're born without teeth, so they eat fortified mush."  
"Weird."  
"Kangaroos are born the size of a bumblebee, they certainly can't eat."  
"I suppose, but that's different. It just sounds strange, newborns that can't eat real food eating fake food instead of their mother's milk."  
"Technically they can subsist on breast milk until they're old enough to eat real food. It's just more common to supplement their diets, in case the mother isn't eating right."  
"Humans are weird."  
"I guess we are. What troubles me is that two are open, but only one is going bad."  
"Do you think..." She paused, as her ears swiveled in response to some noise. "Wait. Did you hear that?"  
"That whining? It could just be the air through the hoses."  
"No, it sounds almost like… wailing."  
"Air can do that in closed spaces. Given the state of the food, we should probably—"  
The sound returned. It was very clearly a cry of some sort. Leora exchanged a glance with Kai, and they immediately took off running to find the source of the sound. They threw door after door open, before Leora stopped dead in her tracks.  
"Find it?" he asked, gently pushing past her. In a mattress on the floor in the corner of a room, surrounded by fence in a makeshift crib, was an infant human child.  
"Oh my God," Leora muttered, not daring to take a step closer.  
"I guess I'm not alone on this rock."

* * *

 **A/N: Three weeks and only 9k words? I'm a horrible person. I could lie and say I was busy, but I just couldn't think of how to write the transitions. On the flip side, I can say with 90% certainty that every subsequent chapter will take less time.**

 **The good news is that the action can finally start to kick off, now that I've gotten a lot of the sex jokes, crude humor, and setup out of the way. I put them there to compare and contrast; although mammals can act human, they certainly are anything but. I hope it had the desired effect.**

 **Thanks 33K121 and Jackofallfables for the help with getting this chapter up to snuff. The proofreading was a lot harder than it should have been, no thanks to the Windows enter key being a carriage return and a newline, instead of just a newline. If that makes no sense to you, let me explain: a newline is represented by the character '\n'. Traditionally, it moved a typehead on a printer or typewriter down to the next line. In the modern day, it jumps to a new line in Linux, Windows, and several UNIX systems. A carriage return is '\r', which means nothing special except on Mac and Windows, where it is part of a newline. Traditionally, it would return the typehead to the base position on the left. Therefore, '\r\n' is a new paragraph, where it newlines and then jumps to the far left, whereas '\n' is just a newline.  
Windows doesn't recognize just '\n', so there's no visual difference between hitting 'Enter' for '\r\n', and 'Shift+Enter' for '\n'. FanFiction, however, decides that there is an enormous difference, and shits all over my nice formatting if I accidentally use the wrong one.**

 **Example:  
'Shift+enter'  
'Shift+enter'**

 **'Enter'**

 **'Enter'**

 **Isn't that a bitch? Anyways, I might have typos, since it's hard to skim through 33K121's edit and fix everything manually. Sorry about that.**

 **Feel free to PM me with questions or whatnot, or leave reviews. Also, to the couple of guest reviewers from last time, keep in mind that I can't actually contact you in any way if you leave a review as a guest.**


	3. Chapter 3

Kai picked the child up in his arms, inspecting it carefully. The baby wailed even louder.  
"That's it, calm down," he reassured, cradling the infant back and forth. There was no improvement.  
"Try holding him upright," Leora suggested. He raised the child slightly, such that he was now headfirst. The infant only protested even louder than before. Leora had covered her ears to spare her hearing.  
"You take him," Kai spoke softly, pushing him into her arms.  
"I'm not qualified for this!"  
"I certainly don't have motherly instincts. I think the last five minutes is evidence enough."  
"And you think I do?!"  
"Just let him play with your tail."  
She rolled her eyes, but cradled the infant, bobbing her tail over his face. Soon, he stopped bawling and began giggling.  
"How do you know he's male?" she inquired, staring at the infant.  
"I just do."  
"I… whatever. How did he get here? Why is he alone?"  
"His parents must be out somewhere. I would assume for food, but I'm not certain." He stroked across the child's forehead and smiled reassuringly. The child nearly began to cry again, but Leora pushed Kai away.  
"Maybe we should feed him first, and then you can try touching him."  
"He doesn't seem to protest when you hold him," Kai responded bitterly.  
"I'm soft and cuddly."  
He grinned.  
"You bet."  
"Still, it doesn't make sense. Why would they leave him?"  
"Maybe it's just one parent. They would have to, at some point, leave."  
"What do we do?"  
"Logically, wait for two days."  
"Two days?" She began flicking her tail across his nose, and he sneezed. "Wow, he's adorable. What's with his eyes?"  
"I would assume that he is of Asian descent."  
"So not all of them look like this? His fur and eyes are deep brown, almost black; is he melanistic?"  
Kai burst out laughing.  
"No, you would recognize a black man if you saw him."  
"So why two days?"  
"The first jar of food was rotten, but the second was only stale. His parents must have been here in the last couple of days. Judging by how thin he looks, I'd say closer to two days. If they don't come back in another two days, then he would have died from starvation. In that case, they either can't care for him, or they don't want to."  
"Don't want to? Why not?"  
"Motherly instincts only go so far. The instinct of self-preservation is even stronger. If a mother cannot save her child without perishing, she would abandon it. In the grand scheme of evolution, a mother that lives can produce more offspring, whereas one that dies protecting her child will not pass her genes on."  
"That's cruel."  
"Life is cruel."  
"After two days, what then?"  
"We get married and settle down."  
She turned to face him suddenly.  
"What?"  
He snickered.  
"Just kidding."  
"You can't honestly say something like that and expect me not to—" She yelped in pain and nearly dropped the child; Kai caught him a moment before he hit the ground. While her attention was elsewhere, the infant had grabbed a hold of her tail and bit it.  
"Don't take your eyes off of a baby, not even for a second," Kai warned. He took the opportunity to try to win the child's affection, but he was nearly bitten as well.  
"That—fucker!" She pried her tail from his mouth and began massaging it. "You did that on purpose, you distracted me because you _knew_ this would happen!"  
"You never complain when I bite your tail."  
"Yeah, you don't sink your fangs into it!"  
"He doesn't even have teeth."  
"Yeah, really funny. Why bother giving him to me if you knew the outcome?"  
"I suppose you should know what you're getting into before you rope me into the boring life and caring for someone else's kid. Children are hard, and a lot of marriages get ruined by them."  
"Marriage doesn't have to be boring, and I'd never let anything ruin us."  
"I believe you, but to humans, marriage is synonymous with settling down. I'm not quite ready to settle down yet."  
"Will you ever?"  
"Leora," he began, placing a hand on her shoulder and rubbing it gently. "I was made for war. Every day, I yearn to fight. Every night, I dream of killing. At this point, I'm fighting my biology because I love you more than I love my old life, but I need adventure to sate my hunger."  
"So when I grow old and decrepit, are you just gonna… abandon me?" she asked, hurt.  
"No, I would never do that! It's just… while you're young, I want to make the most of it."  
"And if I want to settle down?"  
He closed his eyes deep in thought.  
"Then I suppose I'll do the same."  
She hugged him tightly.  
"We don't have to. Not for a long time. We can drop him off on Sirius' doorstep. I'm sure he'll take care of it."  
"First of all, we don't even know if this kid's abandoned. Second, you'd trust Sirius with the youngest human on Earth?"  
"Youngest? He's the size of a rabbit, how young can he be?"  
"Perhaps a year. Maybe eight months."  
"And that's the youngest?"  
"Well, we are an endangered species…" he muttered, before handing the upset child back to her. "Try not to get bitten this time."  
She glared at the child, before placing the tip of her tail back over his face and bobbing it up and down. Again, much to Kai's frustration, the child was more fond of her than him, and quickly quieted down.  
"We should feed him," she stated.  
"I'll go get the formula," Kai responded, promptly returning with an armful of jars.  
"Fucking hell, he'll eat all that?!" she exclaimed.  
"No, are you crazy? I just don't feel like running back and forth."  
"Oh."  
Kai wiped a spoon on the tail of his coat, and popped one of the bottles open.  
"You should probably get out of that dress," he spoke, taking off his jacket.  
"What, are we gonna do it in front of a kitten?" she quipped.  
Kai chuckled.  
"No, ditch the dress because feeding children is messy."  
"They're messy eaters, too? Good God, are these things good at anything?"  
"They're actually very good at being messy. At least put on a bib."  
She grunted her dissatisfaction and affixed a rag from the shelf to her collar. She sat against the corner of the room and held the child upright on her knee.  
"Spoon," she demanded, holding out her paw. Kai gave it and the bottle to her.  
"Remember to be gentle," he reminded.  
She took a small spoonful of the beige paste and brought it to the infant's mouth. The child stared momentarily, before slapping the spoon out of her paws, sending its contents sailing into her face. She wiped it off with the rag and tried again, this time pushing the spoon against the child's lips; her second attempt bore no more success, and the food ended up on her dress.  
"How your species hasn't died out yet is beyond me," she grumbled, giving the child to Kai while she wiped her dress. "He won't even let the spoon come near him, despite the fact that he hasn't eaten in two days." The child laughed. "Oh, great. He's mocking me."  
"It could be worse."  
"Yeah? How?"  
"He could have shit on you."  
She sighed and buried her face in her paws.  
"Promise me that if we settle down, we're getting a kitten. I don't care if it's a leopard, or a tiger, or even a lynx. I'll even be fine with one of those… weird pygmy cats. Hell, I'll live with howling if you want to get a wolf pup, but we're sure as hell not getting one of those."  
"It's not like we can, anyways."  
"Promise me you'll find his parents."  
"Like I said, we'll wait. Chances are, we'll never find them if we run off."  
"This will be a long two days."

* * *

 **Four Hours Later**

Leora was thoroughly exhausted; after numerous attempts to feed the child, he finally ate only when Kai held the spoon. After that, he almost fell asleep in her arms, only to bite her again. By the time he had dozed off, she was caked in bits of food and detritus.  
"I need a shower," she muttered, nearly incoherently.  
"If I remember correctly, down the stairs and all the way at the end of the hall," he responded quietly, heavily leaning in a chair.  
"I'll be back in a while." She exited, leaving him to watch over the sleeping infant. He took a glance at the child once more. He was sleeping peacefully on the mattress on which they found him, gently sucking his thumb. Kai began to daydream, half in crippling exhaustion, and half in amazement that he used to be young once. He walked over to the child and sat next to it, poking his fingers through the bars in the makeshift crib. The infant slowly crawled over to him, and began nibbling on his fingertips.  
"GARRETT!" Leora shrieked from below. Instantly, Kai took the child in his arms and broke into a sprint for the stairwell. When he reached the correct floor, he ran as fast as he could down the hall. The child was crying, but he couldn't risk stopping until he reached the noise. When he did, he saw Leora in the corner, huddled over a large pool of blood. It was not hers; it belonged to the body beneath her.  
"Hold him!" Kai shouted, pushing the child into her arms and taking a look. It appeared to be an elderly woman; her features were very Asian, her hair was well grayed, and she was undressed. The closest shower stall was running hot water.  
"Is she alive?!" Leora asked urgently, hushing the baby carefully.  
"No. She's as dead as they get," he responded sadly.  
"What happened to her?"  
"It doesn't look like an accident."  
"Someone killed her?"  
"No, although I won't know for sure until we do an autopsy." He turned her head one way, and then the other, before lifting her eyelids to inspect her eyes. "It looks like she fell and cracked her skull. The blood looks like it mostly came from the head wound, with maybe a little coming from cuts and scrapes."  
"And you say it wasn't an accident?"  
"The way she fell indicates that she didn't slip. Maybe a stroke or a seizure, but she didn't just slip."  
"What does this mean, then? What about the little one?"  
"This explains why he wasn't fed. It's probably safe to say that daddy isn't coming back, either. It looks like he's on us."  
"I was worried you might say that."  
"If you still want that shower, I'll take the kid. I have a call to make." He took the infant back from her and retrieved his ansible.

Nearly immediately, it was answered.  
"I never expected you to call me, especially not so soon. What's wrong?" Arcturus inquired.  
"I need you to get my pilot in a helicopter. Fly to 43.6426 North by 79.3871 West. Tell no one else. Bring a bodybag," Kai responded.  
"I… is Leora…"  
"She's fine."  
"Who's the bag for, then?"  
"I'm not the only human on Earth. The only problem is, the other one is a child with a dead parent."  
"Give me an hour."  
Kai ended the call and looked at the child. Although he had stopped crying, he had a look of sadness in his eyes.  
"I know you won't understand a word I say," he whispered, "But I'll make sure you're taken care of. You'll have it harder than anyone else, but you'll be greater than them all."  
He could just barely make out the faintest smile on the child's lips as he babbled.  
"You'll make a fine young man, yet," Kai continued, bouncing the child on his knee. "Soon, you'll be telling me stories about your adventures. Wouldn't that be something?"  
"Words of inspiration?" Leora inquired from behind him. She was wearing only her undergarments, and had draped her dress over one arm.  
"That was fast."  
"It's easy to hurry when you're staring at a corpse. What'll happen now?"  
"I need to go back to Zootopia. I know it's rather sudden and early into our trip, but I have to take care of this."  
"I'll come with you."  
"I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled wearily.  
"Does that make him ours, now?"  
"We'll figure something out. Now that I know a child lives, it's a matter of finding the rest of my people." Kai began walking back to the lab; when he arrived, he hit several buttons on the main computer, but to no avail. He gave the infant to Leora while he disconnected several wires and pulled out a small box. "I can only hope that their log will give me something useful."

He began making his way towards the entrance; on the way, he stopped to grab a small blanket and wrapped the child within it. Once they had climbed back to the surface, they sat and waited on the rocky shore.  
"You know," Kai piped up. "It's funny. In the blink of an eye, I just watched the human population double."  
"Don't talk like that. I'm sure there are more. They're just hiding away somewhere, is all. Why don't you check the log, I can hold him."  
He handed the child off, and began connecting the box to the microcomputer in his pocket. Once the screen booted to life, he fiddled with the display.  
"At least it's not encrypted," he remarked, scrolling through the entries. Before he could get far, the sound of a helicopter became apparent. He looked into the distance and saw the traditional army green screaming through the skies at breakneck speed. It touched down next to them, and the door opened, revealing a grizzly and a tiger.  
"I trust you didn't tell anyone?" Kai questioned.  
"Only the pilot," Arcturus responded.  
"Good. Throw the bag down, and get Leora aboard. I won't be long."  
The pilot did as he asked.  
"Where is the youngling?" the grizzly inquired.  
"With Leora."  
"Very well. I'm having someone collect your belongings from the hotel as well. Now, if I may ask, why are you hauling a corpse all the way back to Zootopia?"  
" _Gere curam mei finis_. Help me in my final rest."  
"That's real poetic, are you quoting scripture again?"  
"Scripture has its merits."  
"That's all fine and dandy, but do you know how hard it's going to be to keep this a secret?"  
"She deserves a proper burial, I'm not going to leave her. In any case, I wanted to perform an autopsy. Women her age don't just keel over and die unless it's genetic. If it was a medical condition, then I need to make sure it doesn't happen to her kid. If it was foul play… We have much bigger problems."  
"And the father?"  
"Gone. Hopefully I can find some clue as to where he went."  
"You do what you think is right."  
Kai turned to go back into the bunker, but Arcturus stopped him with a paw on his shoulder.  
"If it means anything, I'm glad you're not alone. I'll get ready for takeoff."  
"Thank you, and remember: not a word to anyone else."  
Arcturus nodded, and boarded the aircraft.

Kai leaped down the hole and swung the bodybag over his shoulder. He made his way back to the showers, where he turned off the water and dried the dead mother off, before placing her in the bag. On his way back up, he stopped in the room where they found the child. He thought for a moment, before scrawling a message on the wall in ink:  
 _1 Linnaeus Drive, Zootopia. Child is safe. Find Garrett._  
He repeated the message several dozen times in every language he could think of and wrote several phone numbers, before finally capping the pen and setting it back on the table. He returned to the surface, and gently placed the body on the floor of the helicopter, securing it there before taking a seat.  
"Let's go," Kai began. "Fly straight to the Court lodge."  
"There's nowhere to land," the pilot stated.  
"There is a rye field not far from the hill. It will make do."  
"If you insist."  
They took off, making haste through the air. Arcturus was enthralled with the child, inspecting him thoroughly.  
"It simultaneously—"  
"He," Kai corrected.  
"How can you tell?"  
"Ah yes. I forgot that you, a grizzly bear, know my species better than I do."  
The bear snorted a laugh.  
"He simultaneously looks exactly like, and nothing like I imagined."  
"What did you expect?"  
"A smaller you."  
"Cubs and kits look nothing like adults. Why do you think a child would look like one?"  
"I don't exactly know what to expect."  
"Neither do I, to be honest."  
"We can't keep this a secret, you know. Sooner or later, someone will find out," Arcturus warned.  
"That is precisely why I'm going to control the spread of this information. Call Sirius for me."  
Arcturus retrieved his phone and dialed a number, before handing it to Kai.  
"If it isn't Big Grizz. You took off in the middle of—"  
"I'm not Arcturus."  
"Oh, Procyon, what are you calling for?" A slight pause. "Wait, why are you using Arcturus' phone?"  
"He's giving me a ride. I need you to get a metal gurney and surgical tools into Achernar's office. A blood testing panel as well, if you can."  
"Wait, why? No one's hurt, right?"  
"I have a recently dead human in a bodybag. Two days gone, at most."  
"Holy—"  
"Also collect your wife, Regulus, Atria, and Rigel."  
"I can get Atria, but why Rigel?"  
"If she finds out and I wasn't the one to tell her, you can bet that we'll have problems. Besides, I could use as many doctors as I can get."  
"Alright, how long do I have?"  
"Close to an hour."  
"I'll see what I can do." He hung up immediately and nearly leaned back to rest his head on the cushion, but Leora stopped him, handing him the child.  
"You should hold him," she explained. "I can't stop him from crying."  
"And you think I can?"  
"You're the only other one like him. If there's a chance for him to have a normal life, it's with you," Arcturus supplemented.  
"Normal," Kai scoffed. "He will have to hide his entire life, and that is _if_ we let him out from under our supervision."  
"You seem to do alright."  
"I'm not exactly social. Hell, I'm hardly an accurate representation of humanity. He's probably closer to you than he is to me."  
"Well, ignoring that aspect, think about it: we'll get him private tutors. The world doesn't have to know that he exists. Hell, you can tutor him."  
"I'm not ready to settle down. Even if I was, I still have to find his father. The rest of our kind."  
"What leads do you have?"  
"The bunker's log. If there's any information, it will be in here." He retrieved and waved the device before stowing it back in his coat. "Until then, I have to figure out what to tell the others."

They flew for the remainder of the hour, eventually touching down in the fields not far from the lodge. The sun had nearly set, indicating that it was almost nine in the evening. Kai gave the child back to Leora, picked up the bodybag in his arms, and disembarked.  
"Arcturus, Leora, stay close."  
Arcturus issued some commands to the pilot before exiting the craft. The trio walked towards the hill less than triumphantly, shortly coming to the entrance. They breezed past the concierge, much to his dissatisfaction before getting in the elevator. When they reached the bottom, they found that Sirius was conversing with Regulus and Achernar at his desk; the black vixen was sitting atop the desk and listening in, while the wolf leaned against it, and the giraffe sat behind it. Several steps away, Grace conversed with Atria and a rather pregnant Rigel; the latter two were setting up the medical implements near the steel bed.  
"They're here," Sirius announced.  
"This had better be important," Rigel complained. "I was busy with something."  
"Do you all know why you are here?" Kai inquired, setting the bodybag on the gurney.  
"Some corpse?"  
"More than just some corpse. I called you here because you are the only crowd I can trust with this information."  
"Someone died, big deal."  
"Atria, how is your pediatric medicine?"  
"I don't know," the ewe responded. "I'm not sure what that is."  
"Are you good with younglings?"  
"I suppose, where is this going?"  
Kai retrieved the child from Leora and adjusted the blanket such that his face was visible, before giving him to Atria.  
"Don't drop him. I need a full checkup."  
Everyone's eyes went wide.  
"Is… is that…" Achernar began, craning his neck over everyone to get a closer look.  
"I mean… he's adorable, but I can't do a checkup on this!" Atria protested. "I don't know anything about human anatomy!"  
"He has four chambers in his heart, and two lungs that shouldn't have fluid in them. Lymph nodes on either side of his neck, under his arms, down either side of his centerline in the front, and around his groin."  
"I've never done this before."  
"If you want I could hand him off to Regulus."  
"I'm not even that kind of doctor," the vixen answered.  
"You went through med school, you'll do great."  
"Why not me?" Rigel asked, suspicious of the man's motives.  
"After your stunt with Jack, I don't particularly trust you. You're only here because you would have figured it out sooner or later, and if I wasn't the one to tell you, you would give me trouble."  
"You told me that you wanted me for medical expertise."  
"To be honest, if I told you the whole truth, you wouldn't have come."  
"And the whole truth is?"  
"We have to figure out how to take care of this child."  
Everyone fell silent for a moment.  
"He's your species, you should watch over him," Atria suggested, probing the child's neck.  
"His father is missing, and I still haven't found the man I was looking for. I can only care for him when I finish everything else."  
"What about your girlfriend?" Grace suggested.  
"I'm going with him," Leora deflected. "And I'm even less qualified at taking care of him than some of you!"  
"Why's that?" Arcturus inquired. "You've been around Procyon longer than any of us, surely you've picked up a thing or two?"  
"A couple of you are already parents, and Sirius has been around him nearly as long as I have."  
"Whoa, don't push this thing on me!" Sirius protested.  
They bickered back and forth for several minutes, before Achernar had had enough.  
"For God's sake, I'll do it!" he shouted. Everyone stopped to look at him.  
"Why you?" Kai inquired.  
"I've never had a calf of my own; I've been far too busy to look for a mate. Now that I'm getting older, I don't think anyone will fall for me. Besides, he's absolutely gorgeous; how can you not love a face like that?"  
"And your inexperience qualifies you, how?" Arcturus questioned harshly.  
"It doesn't. I can keep him here. He'll be under constant supervision, and with some minor changes in décor, he'll be comfortable."  
"Who will feed him? Care for him?" Regulus asked, gently pinching the child's cheeks over Atria and making faces for his amusement. "Last I checked, kits required constant care and attention. If you're down here reading musty old arcane tomes, you can't do that. And that's _if_ no one else decides to show up."  
"No one ever comes down here except for who's here right now, and even that's rare. Besides, I've been waiting my whole life for a live subject to study and observe."  
"So he's nothing more than the subject of an experiment to you?" Rigel remarked.  
"I'll be blunt; yes, that's exactly what he is. However, the very nature of this experiment requires that he be happy and healthy."  
Everyone pondered the statement.  
"Besides," the giraffe continued. "I'll just get Sirius and Altair to help out."  
The two wolves cried out in protest, before Kai stopped them.  
"I've overheard Grace talk about wanting pups, so I suppose this will be an accurate representation of what it's like," he explained.  
"It's just one human infant," Grace responded.  
"And? He's messy, he's loud, and he's going to be a pain in your ass."  
"Pups are nothing like that."  
"They don't call it a litter for nothing," Regulus interjected.  
In that moment, the elevator dinged. Everyone immediately crowded around the child, so as to block the line of sight. From the elevator emerged a coyote, in the traditional Court garb.  
"Arcturus, I thought I'd find you here," he announced.  
"Ah, Denebola," the grizzly responded. "What's wrong?"  
"It's quarter past. Everyone's expecting you."  
"I suppose I should get going." He turned to face the crowd. "My vote's with Achernar."  
After his announcement, he accompanied his protege back to the elevator and ascended out of sight.  
"Let's put it to a vote, then," Kai spoke. "All in favor of the arrangement where Achernar looks over the child, and Sirius and his mate assist in his upbringing."  
Everyone, save for Sirius, raised their arms.  
"Grace?" he whimpered, feeling betrayed.  
"They do make a good point. We should get some experience before we have any pups of our own," she responded, consoling him.  
"Quit being a baby," Kai announced. "It'll make you look better."  
"Fine. What do we feed him?"  
"Most any green and grain will do. When he gets a little older, maybe some meat as well. No bugs, and cut everything into small pieces."  
"Small pieces?"  
"He has no teeth."  
"Are all human offspring this pathetic?"  
"You're worse, to be honest."  
Sirius grumbled, while a few others shared a chuckle at his expense.  
"Oh, and one last thing, if I might ask," Kai continued.  
"What's that?"  
"I'm trusting Achernar with his upbringing until I return, and you are under no circumstances to instill any artificial behavior into him."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Don't teach him how to howl, walk on fours, or anything else that mammals might consider normal."  
"Why not walk on all fours?" Rigel inquired, lifting and dropping the child's legs; the infant giggled.  
"Ever since I've been here, you all complained that my legs look out of the ordinary. It's because humans aren't designed to walk on all fours. The bone structure and joint configuration prevents that."  
"And here I thought you were just a freak for the sake of being a freak," Sirius joked.  
"Takes one to know one. Oh, and you should start working on the plot of that movie. I hear that a house call to the local plumber or the delivery guy with a deluxe sausage pizza is a classic."  
"Movie?" Grace questioned, staring at Sirius and narrowing her gaze.  
"It's a really funny story…" he began, before glancing at Kai and subtly gesturing for him to stop. The man only snorted a laugh.  
"Alright. Atria, how is the child?" Kai inquired.  
"Sounds healthy, but I can't be certain. Nothing in his lungs, and his heart has good rhythm. No swelling anywhere that I could feel."  
"Good. Sirius, Altair, and Achernar, start redecorating. As for the rest of you, I believe there's a meeting upstairs, and it's bound to be suspicious if we're all gone. Remember, not a word of this to anyone."  
Everyone slowly shuffled out one at a time, cooing as they passed the child, save for the three he called out, Leora, and himself.  
"Leora, if you would be so kind as to help them," Kai spoke. "No sharp objects, nothing toxic, and set up a space in Achernar's office for a crib."  
She nodded, and walked off.  
"What about you?" the giraffe asked.  
"First, I need to do that autopsy. I'll be in the corner, so don't pay much attention."  
"Don't get anything on the floors," Achernar warned.  
"I'm good at this sort of thing. I won't be long."  
"After you… dispose, so to speak, of the body, what then?"  
"I'm going to get a few books and supplies for his upbringing, as well as that anatomy text that I promised Sirius."  
"You promised him a book?"  
"After seeing your list of questions, I figured it would be an easier solution. It's actually for you."  
"So this movie…"  
"I extorted a porno out of him."  
"Ooh, tell me more," Achernar begged excitedly.  
"She's gotta peg him."  
Achernar began guffawing, before leaning his head over the shelves where Sirius was standing.  
"You really fucked up!" he announced, laughing some more. Grace began pestering her husband with questions, and the pair walked off to the back of the room to join Leora.  
"Remember, Achernar," Kai continued. "Books on upbringing are usually comprehensive, yet subjective."  
"So I shouldn't take everything at face value?"  
"Precisely." He grabbed the gurney and implements, and wheeled it away. He stared at the woman's face for a long time. She appeared to be of East Asian descent, but he couldn't be certain of the exact location. She had a mix of nearly everything in her. The cause of her death wouldn't be easy to discern, since it could have been anything genetic or environmental. He took the blood vial and drew a sample, separated it, and began spinning it. After he drained what was left of her blood, he picked up the scalpel and made his first cut.

Slice after slice was made with surgical precision. He determined that it wasn't a heart condition, nor was it in her lungs. Her other internal organs appeared fine. The blood tests revealed no bad factors, and no identifiable illness.  
"Any progress?" Leora inquired; he nearly jumped.  
"Don't sneak up on me like that," he warned.  
"You didn't notice me?"  
"No, I was lost in thought."  
"Why?"  
"Nothing that I could find so far. Blood is clean, no clots, no heart problems, and nothing to indicate a stroke… Hand me that needle kit."  
She picked up the sterilized container and gave it to him. He retrieved the long, slender needle, and pushed it up into the woman's lower spine. Leora cringed and looked away. A slightly crimson, mostly clear solution slowly dripped out.  
"As I suspected. Blood."  
"You just poked her, what else would it be?"  
"Blood should never be in the spine. She probably had a ruptured aneurysm in her brain. I couldn't have saved her either way."  
"Meaning?"  
"I don't feel bad anymore, and it's not typically genetic. It wasn't preventable by any of our means, nor was it murder. It wasn't a matter of whether or not she would die, it was a question of when."  
"There are surgeons here."  
"None of them know enough about human anatomy to perform emergency brain surgery."  
"You could have guided them. You could have probably done it yourself even."  
"I could have kept her alive, but I only know the theory of brain surgery. In practice, I could have made her vegetative, or killed her outright."  
"So you had me perform brain surgery on you, despite the fact that I don't even know the theory?"  
"That procedure was simple by design. The chip was designed to be inserted and removed in a field tent by a non-professional. An aneurysm is unpredictable, and very deep in the brain." He glanced at the woman once more. "No, our focus should be in her child. In the future, not the past."  
"You should consider writing poetry," she remarked. "As far as the cleaning goes, we've managed to get most of the dangerous objects on the higher shelves."  
"Are the shelves secure to the floor?"  
"Why should they be?"  
"If he climbs one of them and it falls on him…"  
"Damn, human babies are useless!"  
"Make sure you get on that, then. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

* * *

 **A/N: I've added a full plot synopsis of the prequel at the end of chapter 1, in case you want to brush up. It's mostly for me so I don't make too many plot inconsistencies, but I figured I'd write a timeline of events since people on the last fic asked for one. I've gotten somewhat sick this week and I had midterm exams to take, so the chapter's shorter than the last two and slightly delayed. I'll try not to make it a habit.**

 **Next time, look forward to shocking developments with the bunker's log, and the continuation of their adventures in the world.**

 **Thanks to 33K121 and Jackofallfables for the proofread.**

 **As always, any questions, comments, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to PM me, too.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Four Hours Later**

Kai returned with a large crate of various miscellany that he felt was useful for a child's upbringing. Seeing no one, he placed the crate on Achernar's desk and continued to the back in search of someone. It was eerily quiet as he walked through the room. In the back, he came upon Sirius, Grace, and Leora, each visibly exhausted; Sirius was walking on all fours in a large circle with the child sleeping on his back, while the other two were sitting down and watching him go around. **  
**"What's going—" Kai began, before being hushed by Leora. She beckoned for him to sit down next to them, and he complied. **  
**"This is the only way we can get him to sleep. Please, don't wake him up," she muttered quietly. **  
**"Where's Achernar?" Kai whispered back. **  
**"He should be out getting something to eat." **  
**"He left?" Kai pondered the statement a little longer. "Should be?" **  
**"Yup. He hasn't eaten anything for two days, but he still wanted to stay. It took a lot of convincing, but we kicked him out. Who knows what he's actually doing." **  
**Kai watched Sirius complete a slow circle around. **  
**"He never gives me rides," Kai joked. **  
**"I'll let you ride me anytime you want," she crooned in response. **  
**Grace began to chortle while quietly moving closer to them. **  
**"What did you bring?" she asked. **  
**"A maternity package." **  
**"A what?" both females spoke simultaneously. **  
**"It's a box full of clothes and other essential items for babies. It also doubles as a crib. Since he's not a newborn anymore, I made sure to bring a slightly larger one." **  
**"Efficient," noted Grace. **  
**"You guys look tired. Want to get him in bed?" Kai asked the three mammals. **  
**They all nodded slowly from exhaustion. Kai stood and stretched before motioning for Sirius to follow. The wolf completed his last circle and began walking down the aisle after him. When they reached the desk, Kai gently took the infant from the wolf's back and placed him in the box before laying a blanket over him. Sirius stood up straight and stretched his back, making a few loud, satisfying pops. **  
**"Remember when we were in my bunker a few months back, when I warned you that if you kept sleeping hunched over in a chair it would damage your spine? Judging by that sound, I'm guessing you didn't listen to me."  
"I did listen. Sort of. You can't blame me, I'm a lawmaker. I have hundreds of pages to read a day, and half as much to write."  
"You should get a better chair then."  
"I wish. It's standard in the senate building, and I can't find anything for my home office." He cracked his back again. "It feels like I've been on a rodeo."  
"That reminds me, where did you learn to do that rodeo act?" Kai inquired, twirling his finger in a circle to imitate the wolf's motion. **  
**"I got the idea from some old human movies. I suggested one of them do it since they're females, but they made me since I'm fluffier." **  
**Kai scratched the scruff of Sirius' neck; the wolf began panting, albeit an exhausted pant. **  
**"Wow, that is velvety. Do you use conditioner?" **  
**"Yeah. Have to maintain appearances." **  
**"When did Achernar leave?" **  
**"About half an hour ago, why?" **  
**"Do you know where he went?" **  
**"I think he's upstairs, but I'm not certain. He said he'd be back in about forty-five minutes." **  
**"I hope so." **  
**Kai and Sirius took the box with the baby back to where Leora and Grace were sitting. **  
**"Now we have to wait until he gets back, right?" Leora inquired. **  
**"Unfortunately, yes. However…" Kai pulled the bunker's log from his coat. "I can entertain you all with this." **  
**"What is that, exactly?" Sirius asked. **  
**"The logbook. Hopefully we can find out where this child came from, who his parents are, and where his father went." **  
**"Ooh, let's hear it." **  
**"Where should I start?" **  
**"How about you go backwards?" **  
**"Alright." Kai opened the log and began to read. "Still have the headache. I've taken dihydromorphinone, but it still hasn't subsided. I'm going to take a hot shower and see if it helps." **  
**"Her last words…" Leora muttered. "Go back a week and read from there." **  
**"She must have been in agony if heroin did nothing for her," Kai lamented, dragging his finger across the device's screen. "Nothing exceptional today. Nothing exceptional today. Nothing—" **  
**"Skip the unimportant stuff, come on." **  
**"While I was eating, I suddenly got a really bad headache." He scrolled down. "This headache is crippling. Nothing can make it go away. My vision is getting blurry as well, and I feel like the rooms are spinning even when I'm laying down in bed. Is this what they call a migraine?" **  
**"Reading someone's slow descent into a horrible death is depressing," Grace complained. "Find where the pup is born." **  
**Kai scrolled back a long while. **  
**"I finally gave birth. Jin-Roh helped me deliver. Hiro and I decided to name him Ichiro." **  
**"So his name is Ichiro?" Sirius inquired. **  
**"It is if you pronounce it right," Kai jabbed, to which Sirius scowled. **  
**"It's just that those names sound Far Eastern." **  
**"They are." **  
**"But the text is in common, correct?" **  
**"They keep switching from Japanese to English and then back again." **  
**"Alright, keep reading. Where did the father go?" **  
**"Let's see… It has been a week since Ichiro's birth. Jin-Roh tells me that Hiro must leave with him. Jin-Roh insists that Hiro is one of the few fertile men left, and that he has a duty to the human race to sleep with other women." **  
**Grace could barely stifle her laughter. **  
**"What's so funny?" Kai asked. **  
**"It's just the wording. I'm sorry." **  
**Kai sighed and continued reading. **  
**"Hiro promised that he would return by the time Ichiro had reached one year of age." **  
**"So we have his name, does it say where he went?" **  
**"I would get there if you all could kindly stop interrupting." Kai cleared his throat. "The day has arrived where Jin-Roh and Hiro must travel to…" **  
**He began to laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. **  
**"Travel where?" Leora inquired, eagerly. **  
**"You won't believe this: to Japan. So, Leora, how about that trip to the Menagerie?" **  
**"Congratulations!" Grace remarked, patting Leora on the back. "When will you leave?" **  
**"You wanna get rid of me so soon?" Leora shot back, words laced with humor. **  
**"No, I just want to know how much time we have." **  
**"Sure you do," she responded, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner. **  
**The duo chuckled. **  
**"Preferably when Achernar gets back," Kai answered. "Why do you ask?" **  
**"The last time, you two took off in a hurry," Grace answered. **  
**"We can afford to stay here a little, I think." **  
**"What, you don't have to run off to save the human race?" Sirius joked. **  
**"If this Hiro character is traveling with Vitya, or whomever may be hiding behind that mask, I have no doubt that he is safe. As for the fate of humanity, we already have one infant. All we need is to find a girl, and I think we'll be set." **  
**"Traveling with whom?" **  
**"An old friend of mine." **  
**"You have surviving friends?" Grace inquired, raising an eyebrow. **  
**"I hope. Whomever this Jin-Roh may turn out to be, it is very likely that I know him." **  
**"What's the chance you'll find a female?" **  
**"Decent, I hope. The log implied that there was a shortage of men and that there were several women elsewhere." **  
**"You aren't worried about the inbreeding?" **  
**"I presume that's why this Jin-Roh is dragging the other man across the world. There's a decent chance that he has it all figured out: who to mate with whom, when, and so on." **  
**"That sounds like it'll have to end at some point. It's unsustainable to keep that up." **  
**"Worst comes to worst, I'll science up a solution. I'll just find the closest genetic relative to humans, 'borrow' some tissue samples, and see if I can't figure out a working solution." **  
**"That also sounds like it won't work." **  
**"I gave a fox and a rabbit a baby, I'm sure I can do just about anything. However, I'd prefer a natural solution. I'd really rather not make more chimeras." **  
**"Are you implying that we're chimeras?" Grace asked, insulted. **  
**"Technically you are, but no. I was referring to Vitya and myself, along with most of the surviving humans." **  
**"You're a chimera?" **  
**"You have no idea," Leora replied. **  
**"In any case, is there a reason you're asking us not to leave immediately?" Kai continued. **  
**"You just got back," Sirius responded. "I wanted to hang out for a while." **  
**"We spent a lot of time together in the past few months." **  
**"Why not more?" **  
**"What do you think, Leora?" **  
**"Sure," she responded sleepily, yawning very widely. **  
**While they continued their back and forth banter, the elevator dinged. In stepped Achernar, holding several suits in his arms. He hung them in his office and proceeded to the back. **  
**"What did I miss?" he inquired. **  
**"We finally got him to sleep," Grace answered. "Oh, and his name is Ichiro." **  
**"Ichiro? What a strange name." **  
**"It means 'first son'," Kai supplemented. **  
**"I see. I take it the books on my desk were the ones you brought?" **  
**"Yes." **  
**"What was the rest of the stuff?" **  
**"Formula, clothing, powdered milk, a few—" **  
**"Hold on, what was that last one?" Sirius interjected, thoroughly shocked. **  
**"Powdered milk?" **  
**"How would you even turn milk into a powder?" Achernar mused. "Would you snort it?" **  
**"You reconstitute it with water and drink it." **  
**"I just got over the fact that you still drink milk after weaning, and now you also make powdered milk?" Sirius questioned. **  
**"Coming from mister 'beef jerky got me stabbed in the eye', this should be pretty tame." **  
**"No matter," Achernar interrupted. "Am I allowed to call if I have any questions? If there's an emergency, what should I do?" **  
**"Of course you can call, and we're staying for a couple more days. If anything dire comes up, let us know. Defer to Altair first if we're not here." **  
**"What about Sirius?" **  
**"He's like the crazy uncle. If you have to, I'm sure he won't kill the baby, but you should probably get his wife first." **  
**Sirius scowled again; Kai quickly scratched him until he fell over. **  
**"Don't worry, I still love you," he murmured affectionately. "Well, Leora, I think we can take our leave, seeing how the child is in good hands. Paws and hooves, rather." **  
**He glanced over and discovered that Leora had dozed off. **  
**"And she's asleep. We were just talking, how is she asleep?" Grace inquired. **  
**"Busy day. I don't think she slept well last night, on account of us running to bars at three in the morning." **  
**"You did what now?" **  
**"It was important, I assure you." He picked her up effortlessly in his arms. **  
**"I'm awake," she muttered, eyes still closed and head resting on his shoulder. **  
**"I'm sure you are. Sirius, do you still have my room key?" **  
**"Yeah, I kept it safe." The wolf retrieved it from his pocket and threw it to Kai. "I didn't think you'd be back so soon. You're lucky I didn't put it in a deposit box." **  
**"Indeed, I'll see you all in the morning." **  
**They waved him farewell, and he exited with Leora still securely in his arms. They took the elevator up and continued along the hallways, eventually stopping at his room. He unlocked the door and carried Leora in, setting her down onto the bed. He tried to cover her with the blanket, but she murmured in protest. **  
**"You're gonna run off again, aren't you?" **  
**"I need to wash up, give me ten minutes." **  
**"The last time you wanted ten minutes, you took three hours." **  
**He chuckled and laid down with her; she nestled against him and closed her eyes. **  
**"G'night," she muttered. **  
**"Good night," he responded. He lay deep in thought as she fell asleep. Her steady breathing eventually soothing him into his own realm of sleep.

* * *

Leora sat up and opened her eyes; she found that Kai was nowhere in the room. She sighed in disappointment, but stood to set a pot of coffee nonetheless. She went back to the nightstand for her phone, but couldn't find it. It wasn't under the covers and pillows, beneath the bed, or on the surrounding floor. She shrugged, figuring that Kai had taken it. **  
**She went back to the kitchen and searched the fridge. Finding a piece of leftover salmon, she quickly tossed it in the microwave and poured herself a cup of coffee. She looked on the counter for sugar, but the bowl was empty. Shaking her head in dismay, she went for the pantry. As she opened the door, she heard a creak behind her. She instinctively ducked, and the door was smashed from its hinges. She turned around in time to get hit in the face. **  
**Leora tried to crawl away but was struck several more times, rendering her immobile. She tried to breathe, but felt someone fall onto her, forcing her against the ground. **  
**"Now that your boyfriend is gone," spoke a familiar voice, "I'm finally gonna have some fun." **  
**She struggled in vain; her tail was forcefully pulled up. **  
**"No!" she shouted, trying to scream before quickly being silenced as her face was slammed into the ground once more. Just before she felt anything else, her vision went black. **  
**Leora sat up and opened her eyes; her heart was racing, and she was breathing rapid, deep breaths. She was still in bed, and Kai was still asleep next to her. She clutched at her ribs and then her head, before letting out a sigh of relief. Nothing had happened to her. She reached out and found Kai's hand, gripping it tightly. It was the second such nightmare in as many days. **  
**"Everything alright?" Kai inquired sleepily, squeezing her paw slightly. **  
**"Just a bad dream." **  
**"It must have been very bad." **  
**"I don't want to talk about it," Leora spat out quickly, regretting that she said it in that tone. Sighing, she started over. "Garrett, I'm sorry. I know you want to help, but not right now." **  
**Even though saying it made her feel better, she still felt ashamed of her unwillingness to confront the underlying problem. Kai knew better than to push the subject, simply holding onto her paw. **  
**"Alright, but it's only four in the morning. You should try and get some more sleep." **  
**"Not until tomorrow." Even though she was extremely tired, she was afraid of what dream might come next. **  
**"Well, we have a lot of time to waste, then." **  
**Letting out another long sigh, she flopped back down next to Kai and put her head on his chest, her paw never leaving his hand. Kai began stroking her back, shoulders and neck, drawing little nothings in her fur to help calm her down. After a long while, Leora broke the silence. **  
**"Wanna go see… What's his name again?" **  
**"Ichiro? It's a little early, isn't it?" **  
**"Giraffes sleep ten minutes a day, it's nearly impossible to catch one when they're asleep." **  
**"I meant for Ichiro." **  
**"We don't have to wake him." **  
**"Sounds fine to me." **  
**Leora got off of him, letting him out of bed; he put his coat on and waited by the door for her to get ready. She lounged in bed for another minute following his lead. Once she was dressed, they descended into the archives. **  
**When the doors opened, they stepped out to find Grace sitting in a chair by the elevator door, asleep. **  
**"Huh," Kai whispered to Leora. "I thought they left." **  
**She shrugged; they walked around carefully so as not to wake Grace. Achernar was nowhere to be found, but Sirius was lying curled up on the floor next to the crib. His eyes were closed, but when they approached, he casually raised his brow. **  
**"Sirius, what are you doing here?" Kai asked. **  
**"Achernar had to run. They found human remains along some river and he had to go." **  
**"It's half past four in the morning, why did he leave? Especially after I charged him with caring for Ichiro." **  
**"He called Grace and me. Speaking of which, how is she?" **  
**"Asleep." **  
**"Figures. Damn giraffes. You know how they say that giraffes are always on call?" **  
**"…No?" **  
**"Whatever." The child made a relatively quiet noise; Sirius' eyes shot open, quickly peeking into the crib with a rather worried expression before breathing a sigh of relief. "Thankfully, nothing's wrong yet. I'm just… uncertain. Afraid." **  
**"Why?" **  
**"If something happens to him, I won't be able to forgive myself." **  
**"He's almost a year old, SIDS is highly unlikely at this point." **  
**"SIDS?" **  
**"Sudden Infant Death Syndrome." **  
**"That's a thing?!" **  
**"He's less fragile than you think." **  
**"But what if he gets sick? What if something goes wrong?" **  
**"You can always call, Sirius." **  
**"And if he doesn't have enough time?" **  
**"Being afraid of responsibility doesn't suit you at all. Consider this practice for when you become a father. Your pups are going to need a strong one." **  
**"It's not as much fear of him dying as it is fear of disappointing you." **  
**"Why's that?" **  
**"Other than you, this is the last human we know of. If I accidentally kill him—" **  
**"You won't. Even if you did, I know that you would never intentionally harm him; I'd get over it. Humanity's future certainly doesn't hinge on a single male infant." **  
**Sirius crawled several feet on all fours to wrap around Kai's legs. **  
**"I'm sorry if I seem like a whiny bitch, the gravity of the situation just came down on me while I was lying next to him." **  
**"You wanted us to stay a while, I have no problem with that, 'Max'." Kai knelt down and patted Sirius on the head. "If I show you the ropes, will you get a grip?" **  
**"My names Ian, 'Dude', and I'll try," Sirius jokingly responded, intermittently growling. **  
**"Atta boy." **  
**They took a seat next to the crib. **  
**"How long did Achernar say he would be?" Kai inquired. **  
**"It could take hours, days even. Digs usually do." **  
**"He has medical texts and anatomical references, why would he ever leave a living human child for the bones of some dead ones?" **  
**"It wasn't an archaeological dig, it was a construction dig up in the mountains, right by the lodge. They have to call the police if they find bones, and we made sure a few strings were pulled." **  
**The child sneezed, and everyone peeked into the crib. Ichiro began to tear up and bawl quietly. **  
**"Oh no, what do we do?" Sirius asked urgently. **  
**"He might need to be held." **  
**"Might?" Sirius picked Ichiro up and cradled him back and forth. The bawling didn't stop. "How long do I need to—ah!" **  
**The child began pulling on his fur, taking a small clump out. **  
**"It's possible that he could be hungry," Kai continued. **  
**"Is there any way to tell before I go bald?" **  
**"You offer him food." **  
**Sirius groaned and picked up a jar of food, spooning the mixture into Ichiro's mouth. The child ate several spoonfuls and stopped crying before soon giggling. Sirius closed the jar and replaced it, setting Ichiro back in the crib. **  
**"See? Was that so hard?" **  
**"What if it isn't food or attention?" **  
**"Let's see… in order: attention, hunger, indigestion, burping, diaper change, too hot or too cold, pain, teething, less stimulation, more stimulation, illness, or something else." **  
**"Are you… are you shitting me? How am I supposed to remember that?!" **  
**"Says the mammal with a couple of doctoral degrees. If you can become a doctor in law, then this information can't be hard to remember. Besides, I already gave a list to Achernar," Kai responded, giving Sirius a long piece of paper. **  
**"Other?" Sirius noticed at the bottom of the page. **  
**"There's a second list." Kai gave him another piece of paper. **  
**"I don't think this is something I can do." **  
**"You can always call." **  
**"What if I can't reach you?" **  
**"You will. Think on the bright side: if you can do this, you can easily raise pups." Kai flipped the paper over and lightly chuckled. "I almost forgot the third page!" **  
**"No, you can't be serious!" Ian spoke in utter dismay. **  
**"I thought you were Sirius. Besides, you can calm down, I was joking." **  
**"I can't believe you! You save me from dying to my lungs becoming sponge, but in reality you were waiting until this moment just to give me a heart attack!" **  
**"Oh cheer up Ian, you're making this seem worse than what it is." **  
**"Yo, screw you." He checked his watch and uttered a long, drawn out sigh. "I suppose that means my plans for the day went out the window." **  
**"Why do you say that?" **  
**"I was gonna get a few buddies together and play a couple rounds of cards. That stupid long horse owes me big." **  
**"I assume you have a deck. If you want, we can play a few hands," Kai offered. **  
**"Aren't you busy eloping off to Honshu to find Ichiro's dad?" **  
**Kai glanced at Leora, who shrugged. **  
**"Not today, friend. Break out the cards. Leora, if you would be so kind as to fetch Grace." **  
**She left and momentarily returned with Sirius' wife. **  
**"What's the game?" **  
**Sirius dealt five cards each. **  
**"Poker." **  
**"The poker I'm used to has two cards and a pot." **  
**"This is Zootopian Poker. You get two mulligans and then bet." **  
**"Strange," Kai mused. **  
**"It's actually pretty standard," Leora elaborated. She placed two of her cards onto the floor face-down and drew two from the deck. "Are we betting?" **  
**"I've got a couple hundred on me," Sirius responded, reaching into his pocket. Kai stopped him and withdrew four large stacks of money from his coat; he kept one, giving one to everyone else. **  
**"On me," Kai explained. **  
**"Seriously, Garrett? Where do you get that kind of cash?" Ian questioned skeptically, taking the stack of cash. **  
**"Magic."  
"That… that doesn't really answer the question."  
"I know." **  
**Grace ruffled through her stack skeptically **  
**"Is this legal tender?" **  
**"Does it look real?" **  
**"I suppose? Why?" **  
**"Then sure, why not." **  
**"You do know the secret service was originally founded to put an end to counterfeiting. The protection and investigation came later." **  
**"I dare you to prove that it's fake." **  
**She inspected the money more closely and sniffed at the stack, but shrugged. **  
**"I'm off duty." She tossed the top bill into the pile. "I bet a hundred." **  
**"Call," Leora muttered, eyeing Grace suspiciously while also throwing in a bill. **  
**"I raise to a thousand," Sirius spoke, tossing in ten bills, oblivious to the staring contest between both females. **  
**"Two thousand," Kai called. Noticing the stare down, a smile began to form on his lips. **  
**Everyone else matched the two thousand, and they revealed their cards; Kai won by a narrow margin. **  
**"Beginner's luck," Sirius muttered. **  
**They played for well over an hour, occasionally checking on the child. By the end of their session, Kai had amassed a large sum of money, as had Sirius; the other two had dropped out. **  
**"Alright, who gets to shuffle?" Sirius inquired. **  
**"I think it's my turn," Kai responded. **  
**"No, you cheat when you shuffle. I don't know how, but I know that you do. I'll give it to Leora." He handed the deck over and winced, massaging his upper cheek. **  
**"Everything alright?" **  
**"Yeah, I just… Grace, darling?" **  
**Grace pulled a small bottle of pills from her pants pocket and gave him two; he quickly took them. **  
**"What was that?" Leora inquired. **  
**"Pain meds, for my eye." **  
**"You still need pain meds? Why does Grace have them?" Kai asked. **  
**"It's methadone. She doesn't trust me with it, which is understandable, but every six hours I feel like someone's gouging my eye out with a spoon." **  
**"Didn't Jack already gouge it out with a pocket knife?" **  
**"Yes, which is precisely why I'm making the comparison." **  
**"It shouldn't hurt; it's been what, three months?" Leora continued. **  
**"I know, but they had some random buffoon do the surgery; I think he fucked something up. Atria doesn't want to try anything since it's risky. I'd give just about anything to get my eye back, and to not be reliant on painkillers to get through the day." **  
**"How about this." Kai proposed. "You win this next hand, I'll get you a new eye, better than the original." **  
**"You'll what?" Sirius responded in disbelief. "You mean like a spy gadget? Oh! Maybe like that watch you gave me?" **  
**"Somewhat. Granted, it'll probably be slit pupil, but you can have it in any color you like." **  
**Sirius' ears perked up as he began to grin, before suddenly frowning. **  
**"I have to win to get it? And what if I lose?" **  
**"Leora gets to direct and star in your film." **  
**"Oh no, you keep me out of this. I'll direct it but I'm not starring," Leora interjected, looking at Ian and Kai before grinning. "At least, not without a large stipend." **  
**"What is it with this 'film' you all keep talking about?" Grace suddenly questioned. **  
**"He'll explain it on his own time," Kai answered, holding his hand out for Sirius to shake. "What do you say?" **  
**Sirius contemplated for a moment, occasionally glancing at his wife, before eventually smirking and shaking Kai's hand. **  
**"You're on." **  
**Leora shuffled the cards and dealt them out. Sirius redrew once before tossing money into the pot. **  
**"You still want to bet cash?" **  
**"Sure, why not." **  
**Kai threw in half of his pile. **  
**"You must have a lot of confidence in your hand." **  
**"I haven't used my mulligan yet. I'll wing it." **  
**"Oh?" Sirius retorted, tossing his entire pile into the pot. "All in, then." **  
**"By the way, Grace, I'm curious: have you used the tracker I put in his watch yet?" Kai spoke suddenly, interrupting the game for a moment. **  
**"I tried, but the one time I needed to use it he left it at home," Grace responded, scowling at her husband. **  
**"What? It was an accident, I forgot to put it on that one time. I told you I was going to a meeting and that it was probably going to take most of the day." **  
**"Yeah, but that still doesn't mean you're getting off scot-free. I called you and sent you text messages left and right. The least you could have done was bring me some flowers or my favorite treats when you got home. Didn't you hear how worried I was?" **  
**"Yes, honey…" Ian began staring at the table, finding the wood grain particularly interesting all of a sudden. **  
**"Alright, how about this," Kai interjected, interrupting their argument. "If he wins, I'll just implant a tracking chip into him. Hell, I'll even give him a tracking collar if it makes you happy."  
"Thank you, at least you see reason!"  
"Why is this such a big deal?" Sirius whined.  
"How am I supposed to know that you aren't playing hooky at some bar while I'm worried sick?" **  
**"Grace, you know I wouldn't do that. Can we please get back to the game? I really don't want to talk about this right now."  
"Fine," Grace responded, less than satisfied. **  
**"Glad you two made up," Kai cooed, carefully selected the cards in his hand to discard, drawing new ones. Satisfied, he threw his pile into the pot as well. **  
**"Well? Show me what you have," Sirius spoke, laying his hand down and fanning the cards out. "I'm sitting on a full house, nines in sevens." **  
**Kai stared at his cards for a while, before placing them face down onto the floor, looking dejected. **  
**"You win. You really are good at bluffing, huh?" **  
**"I get a new eye!" he proclaimed, happily hugging Grace and shaking her less than gently. **  
**"Not for a while though, I'm afraid," Kai interrupted. "I still have to get everything prepared, book Atria for the surgery, procure some equipment, and so on. Maybe a month." **  
**"Better late than never." **  
**The elevator doors opened; Arcturus stepped in. **  
**"I thought I would find you two here." **  
**"Which two?" Sirius inquired. **  
**"The other two. Procyon, I got a call from Edo; my presence is requested at the nearby base." **  
**"And?" Kai asked, prompting the grizzly to continue. **  
**"If you come along, you two will get a free ride in a luxury private jet. Catering and all. Will you tag along?" the grizzly inquired. **  
**"That depends, what's the catering?" Leora questioned, narrowing her gaze. **  
**"Anything you want." **  
**She glanced at Kai, who shrugged. **  
**"Sounds great, we're going!" Leora piped up. **  
**"What about teaching me the ropes?" Sirius protested. **  
**"You have the lists and my phone number. Besides, you shouldn't complain when you're getting a new eye soon." **  
**"He's getting a new eye?" Arcturus inquired. **  
**"Indeed, I won it in a game of poker," Sirius bragged, a huge smirk planted on his face. **  
**"What was the winning hand?" **  
**"Full house, nines in sevens." **  
**"And his hand?" **  
**"He folded." **  
**Arcturus walked over to where they sat, picked Kai's cards up, and scrutinized them carefully before laughing. **  
**"Congratulations, Sirius," he remarked, placing the cards exactly as they were. **  
**"What's so funny?" the wolf inquired, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. Kai and Leora stood and followed Arcturus to the elevator, not saying a word. **  
**"I'll see you when I get back," Kai responded over his shoulder. "Oh, and Grace?"  
"What's up?"  
Kai slid a small device across the floor to her; she picked it up and saw that it was some sort of phone.  
"In case Arcturus can't be reached," he continued, grinning until the elevator doors closed. **  
**"I assume you have a reason for folding a royal flush?" Arcturus asked. **  
**"You had a royal flush?" Leora interrupted, amazed. "Why didn't you play it?!" **  
**"I've already seen Sirius naked. His wife, too. I don't really need some cheap homemade porno, least of all from them." **  
**Arcturus chuckled. **  
**"I imagine half the Court would have paid a good sum of money for that," Arcturus spoke, deep in thought. "Come to think of it, I can name at least a dozen mammals off the top of my head that would do almost anything for it." **  
**"They can get it themselves, then. I'm not extorting him." **  
**"Garrett, I'd pay good money for it," Leora interjected. **  
**"You'd pay for porn?" he chuckled. "Mammals have invented the internet, right?" **  
**"There's a big difference, I don't want any random wolf porno, I want a busty lusty porno starring a senator and his hot secret agent wife!"  
Everyone laughed. **  
**"Alright," Arcturus continued. "Settle down and get changed into something presentable. This flight will have a few of my most prestigious officers aboard, and I want to make a good impres—" **  
**"You said it was a private jet," Leora interjected. **  
**"Yes, my private jet. I didn't say we would be alone," Arcturus answered succinctly, expressing his extreme annoyance at being interrupted. **  
**"Can we at least stow away in the flight crew's cabin?" **  
**"I don't see why not. Let's go." **  
**"What about packing?" **  
**"I still have your belongings from your last trip. All packed and accounted for." **  
**"Convenient," Kai remarked. **  
**The elevator arrived and the trio stepped out. **  
**"Now," Arcturus continued. "I expect you two to put on something decent. Meet me in the lobby." **  
**Kai and Leora returned to their room and quickly dressed; she put on a reasonably short dress and he changed into a fresh set of his usual attire. **  
**"Do you ever wear anything different casually?" she asked, looking him up and down. **  
**"Why would I? It's comfortable and stylish. Besides, it's the only thing I have that can hide my arsenal." **  
**She chuckled. **  
**"You think they'll let you into an airport with that?" **  
**"I made it through last time. Besides, if I get searched, Arcturus must have pulled the wrong strings." He opened the door and gestured. "Shall we?" He offered the crook of his arm, which Leora gladly accepted. **  
**They walked down into the lobby where Arcturus was waiting. He bid them to follow, and they made their way down to a black limo parked at the bottom of the hill. He held the door for them and they climbed in; he followed them in and slammed the door.  
"Now, _don't_ make me look bad," he warned, before turning to the driver. "We can go."  
"The chauffeur looks familiar."  
"I'm borrowing him from Sirius."  
"Hello," the lithe lion remarked, tipping his cap before returning his attention to the road.  
"Who else is flying?" Kai inquired.  
"That you know, Denebola. Several more junior officers are accompanying him, as well as Mayor Lionheart."  
"I don't know how you managed to bust him out of jail," Kai spoke, admitting his surprise. **  
**"Lionheart? Why?" Leora asked.  
"Jack sent bombers to Gaul before sending his correspondence to several nations," Arcturus responded. "As it so happens, only Honshu had received any. We're meeting to make sure they don't reveal anything to the rest of the world."  
"What are you offering?"  
"We don't know. We just started talks. There will also be Honshu officials on the plane, so don't screw this up."  
"Relax, old-timer," Kai joked. "I'm far more qualified than any of you to make these talks." **  
**"I'm serious. You may have destroyed the world in your day, but I won't have you doing it again." **  
**Soon, they pulled up to the airport. The chauffeur's badge got them past the gate, and Arcturus' documents got them past security. **  
**"Do you always skirt security?" Leora inquired. **  
**"Only when you two are flying," the grizzly responded gruffly. **  
**They proceeded further through the terminal, eventually exiting and taking a shuttle to their plane. The stairs were down, but the plane seemed deserted. **  
**"Where is everyone?" Kai asked. **  
**"Not here yet." **  
**"Hiding us?" **  
**"Something like that. The crew quarters are all yours." **  
**They boarded, leaving Arcturus standing out by the entrance. Kai and Leora proceeded up the hidden staircase into the very low, rather cramped compartment with several beds build into the walls. He took her pack and tossed both his and hers onto one of the beds, before kicking off his boots and taking up residence on another. She promptly joined him, curling up against him. **  
**"Eight hour flight at least. Are you sure you don't want to get more sleep?" Kai queried. **  
**"That depends. What sort of in-flight entertainment are you offering?" she purred. **  
**"If I say none, will you go to bed?" **  
**"Probably not." **  
**"If you want, I have solitaire." **  
**"The game for the lonely? There are two of us…" **  
**"I have some old human movies." **  
**"What kind?" **  
**"Every kind." **  
**"What about nature documentaries?" **  
**"A curious choice. Pick one out." He took a small computer from his pack, tapped several times on the screen, and offered it to her. She browsed for a very long time, before suddenly laughing. **  
**"African Wild Cats? With a strangely naked, deformed leopard on the front? Now I gotta watch this."  
She hit the play button and leaned the device against the wall.  
"You know, leopards used to look like that."  
"They what? I hope not."  
The first few minutes involved a leopard stalking across the Savannah amidst narration. Before long, the cameras shifted onto a gazelle, harmlessly grazing in the tall grass.  
"He's not really gonna eat the poor thing, is he?" Leora inquired.  
"If you think that, this movie might not be for you."  
Sure enough, the leopard pounced, clamping his jaws around the gazelle's neck, killing him quickly before dragging him up the tree. Leora made a face of disgust, turning away from the screen.  
"Why did you let me watch this?"  
"It's nature. I thought you would be interested."  
"It's kind of gross," she retorted. "How was I supposed to know he would chew the poor thing's neck out?!"  
"With a title like 'African Wild Cats', emphasis on African and Wild and Cats, I thought you could have expected it."  
She rolled her eyes and resumed watching. **  
**Soon after, the plane took off; she had to hold on to the bed to prevent herself from falling over. **  
**Before long, the movie had reached its climax. The leopard was stalking his prey when a lion had come upon him. Leora tightly clutched onto Kai, breathing rapidly. The lion pounced; Leora shut her eyes and buried her head in Kai's chest.  
"I'm sorry to say, nature is cruel," Kai announced, ruffling the fur on her head.  
"Why did you let me watch this?!" she protested once more, highly upset.  
"It's an accurate representation of mammalian life."  
"I've had enough of lions attacking leopards, thank you!" she nearly shouted, punching his shoulder.  
Realizing quickly what she meant, he pulled her close and kissed her forehead.  
"I'm sorry. How can I make it up?"  
"You could bring me something to eat, I'm starving."  
"Alright." **  
**Kai switched on his disguise and descended the stairs into the main cabin. When he entered, Arcturus expressed a face that could only be described as pure horror; the rest of his officers merely stared.  
"I was told there would be catering, Aloysius," Kai spoke Gruffly, slightly irritated.  
"Who is this, commander?" Mayor Lionheart interjected, leaning forward in his seat. "A rather interesting mammal, if I do say."  
"Mr. Mayor, this… this is... " Arcturus spoke, unsure of what to say.  
"ZBI Agent Sinclaw," Kai supplemented.  
"Ah, if it isn't the mammal that saved the world," the lion responded, shaking his hand. "A rather firm grip, if I might say. I could have sworn you looked different, but you know how cameras are. Allow me to be the first in saying, 'welcome aboard!'."  
"Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm sorry to be a nuisance, but in all honesty, I only accepted Aloysius' invitation because he promised catering." Kai glared at Arcturus.  
"Aloysius?" The stocky lion looked to Arcturus and back. "You two know each other?"  
"We met shortly before shit hit the fan, so to speak."  
"So what, three months, give or take?"  
"I'd say six." Kai chuckled. "Has it been that long already?"  
"I know, I feel like I've already known you for far too long," Arcturus muttered. **  
**"Well, your casual attitude is a welcome deviation from these monkeys in suits. Come, sit with us."  
"I'm afraid I am here on my girlfriend's behalf. Although... I can spare a few minutes, I'm sure."  
He took a seat at the table, displacing one of the other officers.  
"So, tell me! What does the great Agent Sinclaw do in his spare time?"  
"I keep an eye on the affairs of the city and a few of its residents."  
"A few? Like whom? Am I among them?"  
"The list is classified, but I can assure that you aren't on it."  
"Now I feel insulted," Lionheart joked, laughing insincerely. "What's this list for?"  
"Threats to the city," he responded simply.  
"I feel like, as mayor, I should have access."  
"These threats aren't worth your time. You have a city to run, diplomacy to uphold. Allow me and my team to take care of the bad eggs."  
Lionheart looked over to Arcturus, gesturing that he was hungry. Arcturus nodded and called several of his attendants to get them food.  
"Get me a nice salmon steak," Lionheart ordered firmly, trying his best to appear macho.  
"Seared tuna, if you have it, and a salad. To go," Kai spoke softly.  
The attendant left to the other end of the compartment and began plating some food.  
"You're dating a grazer?" Lionheart inquired, a strange look on his face. The attendants returned with their meals and set them on the table. Kai grabbed a tomato from the top of the salad and popped it into his mouth.  
"No, I just enjoy the taste. Why do you ask?"  
The lion gave him a look of disgust, before eventually shrugging.  
"To each his own, I suppose. Well, I won't keep you any longer." He motioned to wherefrom Kai had arrived, and turned his attention back to the other officers.  
Kai nodded to Arcturus, who breathed a very well concealed sigh of relief, and returned to the crew quarters.  
"That took you a while," Leora observed.  
"Mayor Lionheart felt the need to strike up conversation."  
"And?"  
"He really is as dumb as everyone says. I had to order a salad to get him off of my ass."  
Leora laughed.  
"Alright, take a seat," she responded, taking a plate from him. "I've picked out a good one."  
"And?"  
"Mating Habits of the Animal Kingdom," she answered, producing a vampiric grin.  
He expressed a look halfway between surprise and disappointment.  
"This is going to be a long flight," he finally spoke.

* * *

 **A/N: I proofread this twice, but when I tried to move it from Google Docs to LibreOffice, it fucked my formatting. RegEX isn't nearly as nice as I thought it would be. Please let there be no errors.**

 **Anyways, in order to help keep to a schedule, I got some help: these next four chapters (including this one) are actually coauthored by 33K121, so a big thanks to him. Together we managed about 33 thousand words, so I've split the whole text into four smaller chapters and cut some content. (Funny enough, cut from this chapter was a long-winded conversation with Mayor Lionheart near the end, but most of the cuts are in the lemon. It was fun to write, but re-reading it is slightly painful.) As such, these next few chapters are a slight departure from my typical style; they're more 'slice of life' than progressive plot and action. Seeing how this is an experimental work, I figured I'd try everything. However, after I finish putting these four up, I'll almost certainly move back to progressing the plot.**

 **By overwhelming majority people wanted a lemon, a few didn't care, and a couple wanted it as a separate chapter, so I'm trying to fulfill all of those wishes at once. Breakdown is as follows:  
This is part 1.  
Part 2 comes out as soon as I can finish one last scene and proofread. You can expect it in a day or two.  
** **Part 3 is the lemon and will take quite a bit of proofreading and trimming (since right now it's just... interesting, to say the least; lots of kinks and fetishes that I'm not sure I want to keep. If you're just jizzing your pants in anticipation and don't care about the sloppy style and questionable plot, feel free to ask for a copy, let me know what I should cut). Who knows how long this will take me, but hopefully no longer than a few days after part 2.  
Part 4 is basically finished.  
** **The most realistic order that I will release the chapters will probably be 1, 2, 4, and then the lemon, due in part to the sheer amount of work that I have to put in to make 3 up to snuff. I've made sure nothing important to the plot happens in part 3, so anyone who wants to can just skip it.**

 **Next, I want to thank everyone for being so patient. It really means a lot to me that you would sit and wait for over a month for my dumb ass to keep working the story. I'll try to make faster updates from now on, but as luck would have it, I have another class starting up this week. Slavic Studies: How Rock'n'Roll Killed Communism. Before you laugh, no, I didn't want to take it. It's just so I can fill a requirement.**

 **Funny enough, it's almost a year, to the day, since I published my first fic. Looking back, the prologue and most of the earlier chapters are written like shit. I used horrible syntax and word choice and was awfully repetitive. If I ever have a chance, I'd like to reword the first several chapters, at least so it doesn't look like English is my 6th language preceded by Sumerian Cuneiform and four obscure dialects of Baltic languages.**

 **Lastly, I've taken a couple of suggestions to continue writing from multiple perspectives. In addition to Kai and Leora's story, you can expect some happenings in Zootopia as well, ultimately leading in to what happened with Jack and Bellwether, and what might happen afterwards.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Japan  
Tokyo  
8 Hours Later**

Eventually, the airplane landed. Arcturus asked Kai and Leora to wait until everyone else had disembarked, personally coming for them nearly half an hour later.  
"Alright," he began, "You're good to go. How was the flight?"  
"Stiff, but enjoyable," Kai answered, standing and stretching. "Lionheart is an idiot. Why did you bring him along?"  
"The law required it."  
"You should rewrite some of those laws."  
"We really should, come to think of it," Arcturus responded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh well. Speaking of which, you two get a free pass through security again, so lucky you."  
They took their bags and exited. Arcturus led them into the airport and through several restricted areas, eventually reaching the end of the airport terminal.  
"This is where I must leave you," he spoke, bidding them farewell. "If anything, call."  
He turned and left. **  
**As the duo made their way out of the airport terminal, Kai scanned the area for a taxi. Leora held onto him by the crook of his arm, gazing out in wonder at all of the exotic sights to take in.  
"Wow," she gasped. "I've never seen so many vending machines in one place before!"  
Kai couldn't help but chuckle. **  
**"In my time, this many vending machines was rather normal for East Asia. Japan had a startling overabundance of them, if I do say. Now that I'm standing here once more, it seems like a few stereotypes survived the ages." **  
**"Really? What other stereotypes made it through?" Leora couldn't help but ask. **  
**"Do you trust foxes?"  
"I know I should, but I get this urge not to. Why?"  
"In many regions, foxes were shifty, untrustworthy tricksters, able to get out of virtually any situation. Incredibly intelligent, even before our geneticists had their way. Almost all of your stereotypes came from us in one form or another." **  
**"Curious. So what were felines?" she asked, wide eyed and bearing a wide smirk. **  
**"If I remember correctly, on the positive side they were independent, curious, quite patient, adventurous, and cuddly." **  
**"That kinda sounds like you. And the negative?"  
"Lazy, easily provoked, lonely, not playful, and evil."  
"And that sounds like me!" she replied, guffawing. **  
**With that, they fell silent and continued along their way. Leora gazed all about, while Kai continued his attempts in trying to wave down a taxi. **  
**"I'm confused. Some vendors make sense, like that one over there." She gestured with her free paw to a bright pink machine that laughing kits were hanging around. Kai shifted his attention for a moment to inspect what she was referring to.  
"It's a cotton candy machine." **  
**"Yeah, I know, but that one over there." Leora pointed to another vending machine, one striped black and white all around. It was on the opposite side of the road from the cotton candy vendor.  
"Oh that? What do you think it is?" **  
**"I can't see behind the crowd, all I see is a bunch of females hanging around it, and... one strangely girly looking male." **  
**"It's a vending machine for lingerie." **  
**"Ooh, that is weird." Leora said excitedly. "Can we take a look?" **  
**"I don't see why not." **  
**They made their way across the street. Kai couldn't help but observe that Leora looked like a kit in a candy store, prompting him to smile. **  
**"What are you so happy about?" Leora teased. **  
**"You're absolutely adorable when you're happy." **  
**Leora couldn't help but beam at him. **  
**"I love you." She leaned over and gave him a nice peck on the cheek. **  
**"I love you too, my oversized kitten." **  
**When they arrived, everyone ended their conversation, staring at Kai and Leora with blank expressions. **  
**"Hi!" Leora began in the friendliest voice she could muster. The crowd appeared puzzled before one of them smiled back.  
"Hello foreigner!" the stranger spoke, voice heavily accented. One of her companions whispered in her ear, and her jolly expression wavered. "My friend wants to know, are you two dating?" **  
**Caught off guard, Kai and Leora stared at the crowd, then at each other, and then back again. **  
**"Yeah, is that a problem?" Leora responded, brow raised. **  
**The group all looked away and shuffled off without saying another word. **  
**"What the hell was that?!" she hissed, more than upset. **  
**"It would seem they disapprove of cross species dating. Strange, considering the Japanese were fairly progressive for the era in terms of acceptance." **  
**Leora looked slightly dejected but held on tighter to Kai. **  
**"Well, they can go to hell. They'll never get anyone like you." **  
**Kai chuckled. **  
**"I suppose you did win the draw. As far as I know, there are only a handful of humans left. Given that the only other one is still an infant, that leaves me, and I'm all yours." **  
**"And don't you ever forget it," Leora crooned possessively. **  
**"Well, on the bright side, there's no line for the vending machine any more." **  
**"I suppose you're right. Hopefully there's something here that'll fit me." Leora leaned heavily on the front panel of the machine to take a closer look. **  
**"Hmmm… What do you think? One piece or two?" **  
**"I think that two piece in falu there would look great on you." **  
**"Falu?" **  
**"The red." **  
**"The practically see-through one? Sounds sexy." **  
**"Glad you think so." He stared off, deep in thought. **  
**"Are you thinking about what I'm going to look like when you're taking them off?" she crooned in a sexual tone, swaying her hips and tail. **  
**"Perhaps, perhaps not. Would it please you if I did?"  
"You know it," she continued, turning around and winking, sticking her tongue out at him. She fed several bills into the machine, retrieved the capsule, and stowed it in her pack, grinning at Kai the entire time. **  
**"Shall we find our hotel?" asked Kai. **  
**"After you." **  
**They walked to the Taxi pick up area, and managed after fifteen minutes to finally flag down a taxi. Kai opened the door for Leora and helped her in. **  
**"Where to?" asked the driver. **  
**"Sunroute Plaza," Kai answered, making himself comfortable.  
"You mean Sundown Plaza?"  
"Sure, why not." **  
**With a nod of the head, the cabbie started the meter and they were off. Leora stared out the window, astonished, while Kai simply relaxed and held her close. **  
**After a lengthy ride through the heart of the city, Kai and Leora paid the driver and exited the taxi. Leora gazed about in wonder: vibrant lights and exotic, rather strange advertisements caught her attention nearly immediately. Although the airport had a rather large variety of species, the downtown area was mostly feline; cats of all shapes, sizes, and colors crowded the streets, with only around one in five being non-feline. **  
**"I have to say," Kai began, "The variety is more diverse than Toronto. You'll fit right in here." **  
**"I dunno, I'm still getting glares." **  
**Someone walked around them, muttering under his breath in a foreign tongue. **  
**"He says we're holding up traffic," Kai relayed, choosing a direction and walking; Leora struggled to keep up. **  
**"You can understand them?" **  
**"It's Japanese. A rather interesting dialect, but Japanese nonetheless." **  
**"Hey, slow down, where are we going?"  
Kai waited for her to catch up. **  
**"I heard about a phenomenal sushi restaurant, and I got very curious," he continued. "I want to see how it compares." **  
**"I mean... yeah, I'd love to, but shouldn't we at least check into a hotel first?" **  
**"No need to worry, Arcturus already arranged for a reservation. Naturally, he had to get the top floor suite."  
"You're complaining?"  
"Well, it's what you fantasized about: king size bed, hot tub, the whole deal."  
She appeared slightly faint, but ecstatic. **  
**"Now I can't wait until we go up there for the evening. Good thing that vending machine was there," Leora purred. **  
**They walked at a brisk, but even pace to the front entrance of the plaza; Kai held the door for Leora.  
"Thank you, sweetie," she purred. **  
**From the front entrance to the back of the main reception room, there were hallways branching off in every conceivable direction. The multi-tiered front desk was stationed in the very center, with all sizes of staff trying to help the hotel guests in any way they could. Although uninteresting to Kai, Leora was in utter disbelief at how many mammals were crammed into the reception area: every couch was full, and hundreds more were crowding about, trying to proceed to different parts of the plaza. **  
**"Found it," Kai suddenly piped up, pointing a finger in a seemingly random direction. **  
**"What did you find?" Leora inquired, gazing in the direction of his finger, before looking up and seeing a sign written in a foreign tongue. **  
**"The Cherry Blossoms Sushi and Fine Cuisine," Kai answered. **  
**"The place you were talking about earlier, right?" **  
**"It sure is. Let's see if we can't grab a seat." **  
**They made their way around the great troves of mammals in the plaza, trying to get through without drawing too much attention to themselves. Just before they got to the front door of the restaurant, a rather lanky jaguar stopped them; his uniform and posture indicated that he was the hotel's security. He muttered something incoherent to Leora. **  
**"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Leora responded, putting forth her best smile. **  
**"This restaurant is for guests, only," the security guard reiterated, this time in perfect English. **  
**"We've got the top penthouse suite," Kai interjected. **  
**"May I see your key?" **  
**"We haven't had a chance to pick them up. In all honesty, we're too famished to wait through the whole line." **  
**"I'm sorry; no key, no entry. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes to check in." **  
**"Seriously? This place is so packed, we'll be lucky if it takes us ten hours, let alone ten minutes!" Leora protested, raising her voice at the security guard. His expression indicated that he was extremely uncomfortable at the situation she was putting him in. **  
**"If you are who you say you are, how about this: I'll call the desk, and if your names are on the ledger, I'll let you in." He withdrew his radio. "Your names?"  
"Reservation for Garrett, booking number one-seven-four-three-seven-five-nine." **  
**"Fine." The jaguar radioed in his native language, waiting for several moments. The desk responded, and he spoke several more words. Soon, the radio buzzed a satisfactory reply. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Mister and Misses Sinclaw."  
He stepped out of their way and beckoned for them to enter the restaurant. **  
**"I have never seen so important a VIP. Would you like me to fetch your key and get you checked in?" the Jaguar offered, a very friendly, slightly forced smile plastered across his face.  
"That would be lovely," Leora responded.  
"Very well; have a seat anywhere you wish." **  
**The jaguar left them, and they found an empty table by the windows. It was freshly washed, with placemats and utensils, and a stack of menus on one end; the only thing differentiating it from other tables was a flat stove built into one end. **  
**"VIP? When were you going to tell me?!" Leora scolded in a playful manner.  
"If you want, _Misses Sinclaw_ , I could have them revoke our passes."  
"Not that I'm complaining," she hastily deflected, "But—Did you say Misses Sinclaw?"  
"Perhaps I did, why do you ask?"  
"You know, now that I think about it, Leora Sinclaw has that nice ring to it. How'd you come up with the name, anyways?"  
"It took me ten minutes and a bottle of scotch. I was bored and you all made a big deal about how strange my name is. I figured I'd throw in a pun and that would be that."  
"Wanna lend it to me?"  
"I'll keep the thought in mind." He grinned devilishly, leaning back in his chair. "And about the whole VIP thing, I was going to tell you eventually. The VIP passes for the plaza really don't do much more than private elevator access and free room service." **  
**"If you keep this up, I might just swoon right here," Leora responded, purring while nuzzling his neck. **  
**"Here, in public?" Kai retorted, amused. **  
**"You really know how to make a female feel special, don't you? Especially this female," she spoke with half lidded eyes, dreamily staring at him. **  
**"What kind of man would I be if I didn't?" He picked a menu up and looked it over. "You said you were hungry, right?" **  
**"Oh, I almost forgot."  
He handed her the menu and took a second from the stack. **  
**"Now remember, money is no object. Order anything you wish. We may as well go all out for this occasion." **  
**"You had better go all out," she teased. "I want you to spoil me even more than you already have." **  
**"I'll try my best, but if you get any more spoiled, I might have to throw you out," he teased back. **  
**She scoffed and lightly swatted his chest, which prompted him to chuckle.  
"Your sense of humor is horrible, you know that? It took me ages to get used to it." **  
**"Of all the things that took getting used to, that was the one that took you a lot of time? I don't know if that's more comic or tragic." **  
**"It's more tragic if you ask me." **  
**"You wound me with your words," he retorted, wearing an obviously fake expression of insult. **  
**Soon, a waitress stopped by, filled their glasses with water, and gave them a wine menu. **  
**Leora opened her menu, glancing across its pages. Sushi, various fish, and colorful delicacies adorned its pages.  
"Say, Garrett, is the sushi anything like you remember it? **  
**"From just a glance, it's hard to get the whole picture, only bits and pieces. For instance, I can tell, based on the color of the rice, that they used too much rice vinegar in the batch in the pictures. There, where they keep the fish, the temperature is too low. The fish will go hard and lose its flavor. On the other end of the room, the chef is holding his knife incorrectly. In about three seconds…"  
Like clockwork, there was a clang as the chef dropped his knife and clutched at his paw.  
"How did you do that?" Leora asked, incredulously.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean you noticed so many little details, what with the knife and fish, all while I can barely see the text on the sign by the bar."  
"It takes experience and time. I'll make sure to teach you sometime." **  
**"I sure hope," she answered, sighing contentedly. They returned their eyes to their menus again. Although Kai could understand the entirety of its text, Leora could only reference the pictures and what little was written in the common tongue. **  
**"This looks tasty, what is it?" Leora inquired, turning her menu and pointing to a picture of several pieces of sushi, intricately stacked." **  
**"I would avoid that. It's fugu." **  
**"Fugu?" Leora questioned. "Sounds familiar." **  
**"Pufferfish. Improperly prepared, it is highly toxic." He glanced once more to the kitchen. "I wouldn't trust any of those bozos with preparing you a clean platter." **  
**"Well, how about this one? It looks like a dragon!" **  
**"That also has fugu." **  
**"And here I thought I had the perfect new photo for my FurBook page. How is it that everything on this menu is inedible?" **  
**He glanced over for a moment. **  
**"You're looking through the exotic section." **  
**"Why didn't you tell me that?" **  
**"I just did." **  
**"I mean earlier, I just wasted two minutes." **  
**"Two whole minutes," he mirrored, chuckling. "I'm sorry, Leora: I should have clarified earlier, but that face you make when you're puzzled is just absolutely adorable." **  
**"Jerk." She stuck her tongue out at him and flipped several pages in her menu. Now looking at the regular section, Leora scanned the pictures until she came upon another intruiging roll. **  
**"How about this one?" **  
**He glanced over quickly. **  
**"Sounds edible enough. Want to try it?" **  
**"Of course. Even if it tastes terrible, Grace won't be able to tell from a picture." **  
**Their waiter returned; he mumbled something incomprehensible before repeating in common:  
"What can I get you to drink?"  
"The finest hot sake you have," Kai answered. "And we're ready to order."  
The waiter flipped a page on his notepad and looked up, ready.  
"Put on a teppanyaki show. We'll have everything. Also, we would like a love boat, a house salad, two soups, a sashimi platter, and…" Kai glanced at Leora; she pointed to something in her menu and showed him. "A black dragon roll."  
"One moment… A salad?"  
"Yes."  
The waiter scribbled something down.  
"What would you like on the platter?"  
"Chef's choice. Impress us."  
"Yes, sir." The waiter took their menus and absconded, quickly returning with two ceramic jugs of sake and two small cups. Leora thanked him, and he left for the kitchen.  
Kai poured Leora and himself a cup of sake, and raised his own; she quickly followed suit.  
"Would you like to learn a new word?" he inquired.  
"What kind?"  
"The Japanese word for 'cheers'."  
"Sounds fancy."  
He raised his glass higher.  
"Kanpai."  
She stared, appearing puzzled, before smiling.  
"I'll just stick to 'cheers', thanks."  
They both laughed before Kai downed his cup. Leora tried to imitate his actions, but coughed wildly when she took her first gulp.  
"That burns!" she finally managed to choke out, clutching at her throat. He offered her a glass of water which she readily finished.  
"It's hot sake. It's supposed to warm you up."  
She slowly slid her cup over to him.  
"You enjoy, then. I'll get something else."  
"By all means."  
Soon, their waiter returned carting over a large sum of food. He placed a bowl of soup in front of each of them, followed by a platter of cut fish; it took him an enormous amount of effort to lift a wooden boat-shaped dish covered in sushi, which he put in front of them. He nearly left, noticing the bowl of salad at the last second. He stared at it, then at them.  
"I'll take it," Kai announced, holding his hand out.  
The waiter shrugged and gave him the salad, shortly leaving.  
"That's… a lot of food. I can see the boat and platter, but which one is the toppin… tappen… tep…"  
"Teppanyaki?"  
"That's the one."  
"It's not here yet."  
Her eyes went wide in disbelief.  
"What do you mean, not here yet?"  
"You'll see. In the meantime, feel free to dig in."  
Leora watched as Kai expertly picked up a piece of tuna with chopsticks, dipped it into soy sauce, and popped it into his mouth. She stared at the two sticks in her paw and struggled to mimic his movements.  
"Need help?" he inquired, amused.  
"This would be a lot easier with five fingers."  
"No it's not. Here…" He grabbed her paw and tried positioning the chopsticks, but when he let go, they fell to the table. Leora groaned and tried once more, also failing.  
"You can get a fork if you want," Kai offered.  
"No!" she hissed back, trying for another minute in vain.  
"How about this, then." He picked up another piece of fish, dipped it in sauce, and held it up for her.  
"I'm not a kitten, I can feed myself."  
"We can pretend I'm being sweet."  
"Well, in that case, then…" She leaned forward and bit the tuna from his chopsticks. Being raw, it had a very strange texture, but a rather savory flavor. She chewed it for a while, each motion of her jaw bringing a new flavor into the mix, before eventually swallowing.  
"What do you think?" he asked.  
"Rather good."  
"I'm glad you like it," he responded, smiling.  
He fed her several more pieces of fish and sushi, intermittently consuming some himself, until a short tanuki in fancy uniform came over with another cart. On the cart were several raw foods: some identifiable, and some not. He played with several knobs on the table, before soon hopping up on a stool before the grill.  
"Now," he began. "Who wants to see a show?"  
"By all means, please begin. We would be delighted," Kai answered.  
"What's this?" Leora mumbled quietly to Kai.  
"Teppanyaki. A teppanyaki show, rather. The actual teppanyaki is the grill he's going to cook on."  
The chef began by flipping his knives expertly; he twirled and tossed and juggled several large knives, before seemingly throwing one at Leora. She flinched, but found that he hadn't actually thrown one at all; it was merely a trick. Eventually, he caught all three knives in one paw and gently bowed his head, smiling. Kai and Leora applauded, the latter cheering slightly. He sprayed some oil and wine on the cooktop and followed it up with various foods.  
As the tanuki cooked, he continued putting on little shows, most of which involved copious amounts of fire and knife tossing. Leora was in wonder the entire time. **  
**Soon enough, however, the chef finished his show. He plated their food for them and bowed one last time before hopping down and taking the cart back to the kitchen.  
"Well, what do you think?" Kai inquired.  
"I think I singed some fur, but I loved it!" Leora responded.  
"What do you want to try, first?"  
"What about the shrimp?" She picked up a single chopstick and stabbed it through a shrimp, prompting Kai to laugh. Leora shot him a glare, consuming the shrimp. "Hey, it's not stupid if it works."  
"I didn't say anything."  
"You were thinking it."  
"I'm sure I was."  
Leora ate until she was full; Kai finished a majority of the food, leaving only a few untasty morsels still on the plate.  
"How do you eat so much?" she questioned.  
"Science."  
She chuckled.  
"I should have known. Say, where's the guard that offered to get our passes?" **  
**"It wouldn't surprise me if he was still standing in line," Kai answered, chortling. **  
**They paid and made their way out of the restaurant, looking for the jaguar across the lobby. **  
**"Is that him at the front of the line?" Leora inquired, pointing to the large crowd. **  
**"Hardly looks like a line, but it looks like him. Want to see how he's doing?"  
"You bet. I could use a room key right about now." **  
**They made their way through the now even more crowded reception area, stopping next to the guard. He glanced back at them with a face of frustration and exhaustion.  
"I apologize for the wait," he spoke, bowing deeply. "I underestimated the crowd." **  
**"You work here, can't you just walk behind the desk and get them to expedite?" Leora asked. **  
**"As security, I'm allowed to stand behind the desk. Nothing more," he responded sheepishly. **  
**"Thank you for waiting for us," she beamed back. "You saved us several hours." **  
**"It was no problem. Thankfully, it looks like you're next in line." **  
**Several more minutes passed before they were called to the reception desk. They bid the guard farewell, and gave him his leave. He was more than happy to oblige, giving them a slight nod of the head, quickly leaving to perform other duties. **  
**Kai slid an envelope of papers across the desk, which the concierge opened and quickly read. The concierge typed rapidly into her computer before handing them room keys and several other documents, pointing them to their private elevator. **  
**Leora couldn't help but skip the whole way there. **  
**"I don't know what's better: the fact we have our own personal elevator, or the fact I get you all to myself for the rest of the night," she began in an incredibly seductive tone. **  
**"Well, my sexy kitten, you're lucky enough to have both." He could tell from the moment that they arrived that she had been incredibly aroused. Luckily for her, he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. **  
**She stopped prancing for a fraction of a second; long enough to give him a kiss on the cheek. As she did, she felt the tingling between her thighs flare up. She knew she was in heat again, and despite Kai's silence, she was certain he must have known as well; his actions earlier today indicated as much. Either way, she wanted to take him. **  
**They soon arrived at the elevator; Kai hit the button, and after a few seconds the elevator sounded a ding. The doors opened, revealing a luxurious space; the duo entered and hit the button for the penthouse. **  
**"Do you think there are any cameras in here?" Leora asked Kai lustfully, wrapping her leg around one of his, sending her tail wandering underneath his shirt. **  
**"If there are..." he quickly pulled out a little device and hit a button on the top. "Then they're not working anymore."  
He deactivated his disguise and slowly removed some of his outerwear. **  
**"Good, I can't wait anymore," Leora whispered, turning his head to face hers; she locked lips and allowed her tongue into his mouth, gently caressing his tongue with hers. Kai wasn't shocked or surprised. He was just as hungry for passion as she was, and returned the kiss with a deep, ferocious lust. **  
**Leora leaped onto him, throwing her legs around his waist and dropping her pack on the ground. Instinctively, Kai's hands went around her rump to hold her up. He soon leaned her against one of the elevator railings so that his hands could roam free across her body without the need to hold her up. He reached both hands under her shirt, not for a second breaking their passionate kiss, and started messaging her hips and rubbing her stomach. He could feel the extreme heat exuding from between her thighs; her stomach was on fire. He figured that she was in heat, but it took him just a fraction of a second to discern that she was positively soaked straight through her panties. He felt a deep sense of pride and satisfaction: only he was allowed to see her this turned on, and it made him feel a certain tingle through his body. She was his mate, and he loved her with all of his being. **  
**The elevator dinged, breaking them from their lust filled haze for only a second. Kai reached back down and picked her up by her rump once more. With his pack still around his shoulders, he carefully kicked her pack into their suite. Still making out, he carried her through the penthouse suite to the master bedroom, sitting down with her on his lap. He and Leora were still locked in a muzzle embrace, and her legs were still entwined around his waist. After what felt like an eternity of passion between them, Leora was the first to break their muzzle lock. Smiling, she leaned back only for a moment, gazing into his eyes. She leaned forward and placed a simple kiss on his forehead before pressing her forehead against his, looking deeply into his eyes. **  
**"Today was great," she spoke softly. **  
**"Today's not over yet," Kai responded with a playful smirk. **  
**Leora untangled herself from Kai held his hand in her paw. She nuzzled his chest, slowly pulling closer to him.  
"So, what now?" she whispered, placing a paw on his cheek.  
"What do you want?" he whispered back, gazing into her eyes and placing his hands around her waist.  
"I think I have an idea."

* * *

 **A/N: Part 2 of 4 in this run; special thanks to 33K121. With the exception of next chapter, this should be the end of the 'slice of life' style. I'm going back to plot development after this.**

 **It should be all proofread, but knowing my eyesight...**

 **This part and the next were fun to write, but are proving quite painful to upload and publish. At this point, I'm going to swallow my pride and accept that it might not be someone's cup of tea. That being said, I'd really like it if no one told me to kill myself this time around.**

 **I'm probably going to upload part 4 next just so the plot segments are done, and I'll go back for the lemon afterwards. Possibly not, though. Just in case, I'll keep the chapter naming scheme, so if you see Chapter 7 before Chapter 6, don't worry. As stated before, Chapter 6 won't be plot essential, so anyone who wants to can skip it.**


	6. Chapter 6

Leora smiled wide, closed her eyes, and pulled him into a kiss. They stood for what seemed like an eternity again before she pulled away.  
"I love your ideas," he commented, before she kissed him yet again. While he was lost in passion, she began to unbutton his shirt. Throwing it haphazardly into a pile on the floor, she ran her paws up his bare chest before wrapping her arms around his head, still kissing him. She suddenly pulled away from him and pushed him back onto the bed; he grabbed hold of her arms as he fell, causing her to fall on top of him. They both laughed at their childish play; she sat atop him and started sliding her paws across his bare chest. He followed suit, unbuttoning her sweater slowly before pausing.  
"Didn't you get red lingerie?" he asked, amused.  
"Shit! I knew I forgot something. Give me a minute," she hastily answered.  
She stood, fished in her pack for the underwear, and absconded to the bathroom. Kai laid back onto the bed waiting for his mate to return. Eventually, the bathroom door opened to reveal Leora wearing little more than the lingerie. Her pheromones were in obvious overdrive: now that her clothing was gone, so, too, was the deodorant and odor mask. The whole room smelled like sex the second she opened the bathroom door, flooding his mind with euphoria.  
"So, what do you think?" she inquired, shifting her hips seductively and giving a slight twirl, showing off her phenomenal physique.  
"Even better than I imagined," he answered nearly breathlessly, sitting up and beckoning her over. She slowly walked up and sat on his lap, pushing him down onto his back again.  
"I bet you're wondering what I'll look like without it," she whispered seductively, gently kissing and licking his neck.  
"Curiosity is supposed to kill the cat, not me."  
"True, but soon you're going to be part kitty, and I'm going to have some more human in me," she answered softly. Slowly, she moved lower, planting a gentle kiss on his chest, then his abdomen, and finally at his waist.  
"Well, are you gonna keep me waiting?" she cooed, impatiently nibbling at his belt.  
"Patience, kitten, give an old man some time." He removed his belt and unbuttoned his slacks, allowing Leora to remove them and throw them into the quickly growing pile of clothing.  
"Did I ever tell you that you look good naked?" she spoke, gently caressing his hardening shaft in her paw.  
"Not as good as you," he responded lovingly, running his fingers through her fur.  
She slowly let her paws slide down to his hips, letting his shaft bop against the tip of her snout playfully before opening her mouth, catching him on her second attempt. She placed her lips around the tip of his penis, sucking very gently while glancing up to his eyes. Satisfied with his reaction of pure bliss, she let her eyelids become heavy and slowly lowered her head until he was entirely in her mouth, his tip just barely reaching the back of her throat. She would have gagged, had it not been for her experience with him. She kept him completely in her mouth all the way to his base, lavishing his shaft with her rough tongue, only starting to bob her head after she needed air.  
Leora bobbed up and down several times before pausing, making sure not to let his penis leave her mouth.  
"Could you do that thing I like?" she mumbled, mouth full, before resuming.  
He gave her his most professional smile, reached forward, grabbed her ears, and began gently massaging them, caressing them with great care and a delicate touch. She shuddered but remained unperturbed. She continued tonguing his shaft before moving to gently suck at the tip, and back again, for a long while. Every few bobs of her head, she changed up her routine.  
Eventually, Garrett tapped on her shoulder, motioning for her to stop. She took him completely to his base in her mouth once more and sucked hard, pulling his shaft out while still sucking. Once only his tip was left, she gave it a quick lick before letting it pop free from her mouth. She grinned, licking her lips greedily.  
"Yes, love?" she inquired, nuzzling up against his length.  
"As much as I would enjoy this all night, I think we should move forward, no?"  
"Out of the two of us, you certainly are the master tactician."  
She sat up on his lap, straddling him. She moved back up his chest, giving little licks and nips here and there until she was lying over him, her face directly in front of his. She gently caressed his cheek with her paw and leaned down for a passionate kiss. With Leora lost in the kiss, Kai grabbed her waist and flipped them both over: she was now on her back, and he loomed over her; they both laughed and smiled like new lovers.  
"I'm curious, what's your favorite food?" she inquired, suddenly pulling from one of his kisses.  
"What a strange question," he responded, still pecking her fur and mouth. "Why do you ask?"  
"Did humans eat cat?" she inquired, her tone not quite obvious.  
"Some of them, I'm sure. Why do you ask? Especially now of all times?"  
"Have you ever tried some?"  
"No."  
She chuckled and pushed him back, parting her legs from around his waist to either edge of the bed, gesturing an invitation with her fingers.  
"Would you like to?"  
He grinned.  
"You kinky kitten, you were leading me on!"  
"So what if I was?" she prompted, placing her paws on her inner thighs invitingly.  
He leaned down, grabbed her legs from beneath for support, and placed his entire mouth between them, panties still in the way.  
She gasped.  
"I expected you to take the lingerie off, first," she remarked, not entirely disappointed; rather, she was thrilled for the act.  
"That comes later," he answered in between licks, running his tongue along the fabric, wetting the fur beneath. Her breathing became heavy, and soon, her tongue began hanging out.  
"Are you trying to ruin my underwear?" she playfully scolded, shifting uncomfortably in the sopping wet panties. "You know what, if you're not going to do it, I will."  
She pushed him away, put her legs up, and slowly removed the lingerie, holding her legs up. With her paws, she grabbed her haunches and held them apart for his viewing pleasure.  
"You may continue," she spoke, waving her tail seductively. He grabbed her ankles and spread them, before pleasuring her again.  
As soon as his lips touched her nethers, she clenched her legs together and pulled his head tightly against herself, moaning loudly.  
"How are you… so good… at this?" she gasped, mewling between her phrases.  
"We've done this before," he responded, caressing the fur on her haunches.  
She began to breathe faster and shallower, leaning closer and closer forward. When her chin touched the crown of Kai's head, he paused.  
"I keep forgetting how flexible—" he began, before quickly being silenced as Leora pressed her gash firmly against his mouth. She began producing nearly inaudible groans, slightly doubling over every time he lapped with his tongue. Her noises slowly grew louder until she was on the verge of orgasm: her muscles went taut, she held her breath, and tightly wrapped her arms and legs around his head. She came, hard; Kai's mouth was fully around her slit as she did, making him drink all she had. What little was left dribbled out from the corners of his mouth onto the bedsheets.  
After giving her inner thighs a few kisses, Kai crawled and laid down next to her, stroking her ears and licking his lips, grinning. Her eyes initially gazed through him into the distance, her expression rather plain, before a smile slowly crept across her face and she looked into his eyes.  
"Who knew that cat would taste so good?" he spoke softly.  
"How about giving me a taste?" she responded seductively, shifting closer to him.  
"Well, be my guest. You're more than flexible enough."  
"You idiot, I meant a kiss," she whispered, closing her eyes and locking her lips around his. She allowed her tongue to wander around his mouth, savoring the pleasure that the act brought her. She only pulled away for air before hugging him tight and rubbing her nethers up and down his leg. Eventually, she let go and fell on her back.  
"Wow, I do taste good," she remarked, prompting Kai to chuckle.  
"I'll say. So, are you ready to try out that hot tub?"  
"But… you didn't cum yet," she protested.  
"We have all night for that," Kai whispered caringly, stroking her chin with his finger.  
"In that case…" she stretched her arms out, inviting him to pick her up. He stood and placed one hand under her back and grabbed her by the rump with the other, sliding his middle finger into her crease. She shuddered and grabbed hold of him tightly; once he had lifted her, she laid her head on his shoulder, moaning quite loudly.  
He lifted her up and walked to the jacuzzi, stepping in and sitting down before slowly laying her across his lap, such that only her head and hindpaws jutted from the water. She continued moaning as he ran his finger back and forth across the anterior wall of her vagina.  
"This is nice," she murmured, leaning her head on his chest. He held her close, tracing shapes into her fur with his free hand. She lifted her head and glanced him in the eye, somewhat amused. "What are you doing?"  
"Wet fur is fun to draw in, what can I say?" he answered playfully.  
"Well, this canvas will cost you." She tightly gripped his penis with one of her paws, prompting him to wince.  
"Watch the claws, I beg you!" he hissed. She raised a brow, pulled his finger from inside of her and gave it a quick lick before sitting up on his lap facing him, gently propping herself up on her hindpaws and grabbing his shoulders. She pressed her body against his shaft, rubbing it up and down.  
"Tell me how much you want this," she whispered into his ear.  
"It'd be pretty nice," he answered playfully.  
She snorted a laugh and pushed him firmly against the wall of the tub, lifting herself up and positioning his tip at the base of her vulva. She bobbed back and forth, teasing him.  
"I want to hear you beg," she responded, grinning.  
"I'm not really one to beg, to be honest," he answered, smiling feebly.  
She scowled.  
"Oh, alright... Please, stop teasing," he said, making gentle tugs down at her waist; not enough to force her onto him, but enough to convey his message.  
"No, not until you tell me how much you want this," she reiterated firmly.  
"I need this, Leora," he finally begged her. "Please."  
She smiled.  
"I think you've earned your prize," she cooed, slowly pushing down; the pressure from his tip increased until it finally plunged into her. She gasped, lowering herself until her rump was flush against his thighs. She panted slightly, gazing into his eyes, and wrapped both legs firmly around his lower back, nuzzling at his neck.  
She began to move her hips to and fro; it was her favorite position: it gave her good leverage over her partner, and caused his thrusts to hit all of her tender spots. Every time she pushed onto him, she hugged him tighter and tighter, becoming more intimate with her kissing.  
"Leora, you're starting to bite," he warned. "If you're not careful, you'll draw blood again."  
"I'm sorry, it's just… I'm so close," she moaned in response, grinding her hips against his with increasing force.  
"How close?" he asked, moving his hands down to massage her tail.  
"I'm almost…" she breathed into his ear, "Come on, let's cum together."  
"Don't hold on just for me," he whispered back. "Tonight is about you, I want to make you the happiest leopardess on the planet."  
Kai flashed a toothy grin and lightly nipped at her neck, simultaneously prodding a finger into her tailhole. His actions pushed her over the edge; she moaned loudly and buried her face in his shoulder. Again, she felt overwhelming pleasure, nearly losing her senses as she gripped him tighter. After nearly a full minute, she felt weak and let go, leaning back into the water. He caught her before she completely submerged.  
"Please don't drown," he teased.  
"If you keep being this good, I just might," she warned.  
"I'll try being worse," he joked, pulling her back up and hugging her against his chest. "Unless you want otherwise."  
"I would really love it if you came already," she complained. "It's not like it will set you back for more than five minutes. I mean, come on."  
"Only if you wish it. Remember, tonight's about you."  
"I want you to cum, sweetie," she purred to him. "I love how you want this to be all about me, but I would still love having some part of you in me after you pull out."  
"I can do that," he responded, smiling to his mate. Holding her tightly against his chest, he began rocking them both up and down in the water.  
Leora was still feeling the aftereffects of her orgasm; everything was still so sensitive. However, his words brought her arousal back fast.  
"Garrett, I think I'm ready for another round," she crooned in his ear.  
He chuckled to his mate.  
"Would it be fine if I took charge, at least until you got your strength back? It'll make it a lot easier to please you."  
She gave him a highly uncertain look, but closed her eyes and nodded.  
"Go for it."  
Kai let one hand fall from her back to gently caress her rear, still rocking them both back and forth. Kissing her neck and nibbling lightly at her fur, he worked towards bringing himself to his first orgasm for the night, and Leora to her third.  
Leora was lost in pure bliss and pleasure; she began moaning loudly, no longer bothering to keep quiet.  
"Oh God Garrett, you are so good at this."  
"Only for you my dear," he whispered in response.  
"Please, when you get close, don't pull out. I need to feel you inside me."  
"I can do that."  
He continued with his light thrusting for a time until Leora gained enough of her strength back to help him out.  
"Garrett, I love it when you do this to me." She began lightly grinding on him, slowly opening her eyes and gazing into his, smiling weakly.  
Smiling back, he redoubled his efforts and began moving faster. The water began to slightly spill over the sides.  
"And I love it when you do this to me," he answered, voice laden with lust.  
Reaching her hands around his head, she pulled him into her chest. With her legs still wrapped around his lower back, and trying not severing their union, she started to mirror his increased pace, lightly digging her claws into the back of his head by accident.  
"Ow! Watch the claws!" Kai protested, slowing down just slightly. Despite the uncomfortable feeling, he only felt more aroused by her involuntary actions.  
"S-sorry," was the only phrase she could muster, but she meant none of it. After her two previous orgasms, her head was swimming in ecstasy and raw passion. She retracted her claws as far as she could before grinding on him again.  
"If you keep this pace," she began, "I'm gonna cum before you."  
"I'm close, too," he barely managed, also lost in pleasure like his partner. "Just a little more, and we'll come together."  
They sat in the tub a while longer, enjoying each other's moans of pleasure. Kai continued his thrusting into her, and Leora continued her grinding on him.  
Gasping, Leora felt the telltale signs of her impending orgasm. Her stomach was getting warmer and the slight tingle was starting to grow into a fiery heat.  
"I'm… I'm getting close," she whispered.  
Kai was not far behind her.  
"I'm almost there, too," he whispered back, gently nipping at the fur on her chest.  
Hearing those words from him caused her to become reinvigorated.  
"Come on, fuck me! Fuck me like you'd fuck a bitch in heat!" she growled, moving faster against him, purposefully extending her claws around the back of his neck; enough to leave a mark on his skin, but not enough to puncture through. She pulled his head away from her chest and forced him into a tongue filled kiss.  
Kai responded to the rough treatment by growling into the kiss. He wrapped both hands around her back and forced her against his chest, before standing up and leaning them both over the side of the tub onto the surrounding floor. Leora laid on her back, and Kai laid on top of her, his penis never leaving her during the whole transition. Letting go of her back, he stood up, still growling playfully and ensuring he remained inside of her. He reached for her waist and forced her closer to him so her rump was right on the edge of the tub, her tail now dangling in the water and her legs around his waist.  
"How was that for rough treatment?" he spoke with a tooth filled grin.  
"Now fuck me harder!" she couldn't help but nearly scream.  
Wrapping his hands around her waist, he started to truly fuck his mate. Sounds of their sex slapping together filled the room.  
"So how's this?" he asked her, thrusting with more force every time.  
For her answer, she reached up and pulled his head down into another kiss. She began to quiver, shifting up against him as much as she could, her legs scrambling to keep him inside of her as much as possible; with every thrust in, she wrapped her legs tighter, and with every thrust out, she struggled to keep her legs around him. Sensing her desires, he leaned over, nearly touching his chest to hers.  
Letting go of his head again, she placed her hands on his chest and just enjoyed the feeling of him thrusting in her, filling her passage all the way. She knew she was mere seconds away from her orgasm.  
"Oh fuck! Garrett, I'm close!" she nearly yelped.  
He didn't respond, instead gritting his teeth. Moving his hips slightly higher, he started thrusting into her with a more downward angle, giving him a deeper purchase and causing his shaft to rub against her clit every time he pulled in and out.  
The new feeling caused her to scream; she clamped her jaws around his shoulder to stifle her shrieks of pleasure, digging her claws into his back. Despite the pain, Kai forced himself to continue for her sake. He thrusted much more forcefully than before, slamming into her; she gasped. On his next thrust, he wrapped his arms around her back and held her tightly. His third thrust was far deeper than before, hitting her cervix. Leora climaxed for the third and most powerful time at the end of his final thrust.  
He felt her muffled scream in his shoulder as her walls began to clench around him at the apex of his stroke into her. The feeling of half of her walls trying to push him out and the other half trying to pull him was the feeling that caused him to finally release into her. Quickling moving back for one more thrust, he forced himself as deep as possible into her passage, just barely reaching her cervix and holding there. He supported himself on his arms, nearly collapsing atop her as his body went taut; letting out a grunt of pleasure, he rode out his entire release.  
The feeling of him cumming deep inside of her was an amazing one; the feeling of warmth that surrounded her stomach as she felt his cock pulse inside of her was too much for her to handle.  
"Garrett, don't stop, keep coming!" she moaned, her voice muffled around his shoulder.  
"I won't stop," he answered, leaning his head against hers.  
Arching her back slightly, Leora moved her legs towards his shoulders, tilting her hips upwards to accommodate being filled with her mate's seed, letting out tiny gasps intermittently. When she realized she still had his shoulder in her mouth, she began licking it; the slight taste of blood was disconcerting, but she was too lost in bliss to concern herself. Soon, his blood began to burn inside of her mouth, but she still held tight against him.  
Eventually, she felt the twitching inside of her die down, and she released her jaws, wiping the blood from her mouth. Soon after, she finally opened her eyes. She saw him staring back affectionately.  
"Garrett… I… I love you," she whispered, retracting her claws and pulling him down, hugging him tightly.  
"I love you, too," he answered, kissing her lightly on her forehead. He tried to pull out, but she wrapped her legs tighter, stopping him.  
"Where do you think you're going?" she inquired playfully.  
"It'd be nice to fix up my shoulder. You did quite a number on it. It must have been a killer orgasm."  
"Oh, it sure was. Speaking of heat, can I share something with you?"  
He chuckled.  
"I didn't mention heat, but sure. Anything."  
"I don't know why, but this heat feels different."  
"How so?"  
"It just does. It came a couple of weeks early, for starters. There's not as much tingling, but all of the sex drive."  
"Is that bad?"  
"Not necessarily."  
"Do you want to get checked out?"  
"Only by you, love," she responded, meowing seductively. He chortled.  
"But really," he spoke, "Could you let me out? I'm bleeding pretty bad."  
She unwound her legs and pulled them apart. With one more kiss, she let him pull out with a satisfying pop; a small trial of his cum spilled onto the tiled floor. Without lowering her hips, she rotated slightly and began lapping at his penis, cleaning it off and savoring the unique, salty taste.  
"Oh," he moaned, forgetting about his shoulder. "That's good, just like that."  
She stopped momentarily.  
"You seem to forget who's in charge here," she reprimanded, before taking him back in her mouth.  
Once she was satisfied with her cleaning, she let him find some gauze; she remained on the floor by the tub, arms and legs splayed in exhaustion.  
He returned shortly, lifting her up in his arms.  
"That was something," she whispered, out of breath.  
"Yeah," he agreed, carrying her into the shower. He turned the stream on, waited for it to get warm, and stood under it, holding her close against him.  
"What are you doing?" she inquired, snuggling tighter.  
"I'm washing you. Believe me, semen is difficult to clean out of anything, and I'm sure fur is no exception." He took a bottle of shampoo from the wall and splashed it strategically across her.  
Kai hugged her tight and began lathering the soap in her fur, massaging her body and making her moan in pleasure, making sure to get as deep as he could. He ran his hands all across her back and shoulders, before moving down to her haunches and prodding a finger into her rear.  
"Hey! I don't care if you do that, but don't get soap in my ass!" she yelped, scolding him. He chuckled and began rubbing her tail up and down. She squeaked uncomfortably when he first pulled on her tail, but quickly quieted.  
"Hold on, I need to get your front, too." She quickly turned around and leaned, head on folded arms, up against the wall. He straightened out and bent over after her, wrapping his arms around her stomach and working the shampoo there. He moved up and down her chest, before rubbing her hips and underarms, before finally lifting her up and balancing her precariously against him. She nearly fell over, but quickly leaned back and placed her paw pads against the tile, helped them balance. Once he was satisfied that she wasn't going anywhere, he moved his hands to her haunches and worked the soap into a lather, before moving to her thighs. She nearly fell over at the feeling, but he quickly caught her.  
"Hold on," he spoke, turning off the shower. He sat on the floor of the stall, motioning for her to join him. She crouched down and sat on his lap, facing him.  
"Now what?" she asked, smiling.  
"Hoist your legs up," he answered, helping her lift her hindpaws up to his shoulders. With the new angle, he easily ran his hands up and down her legs. Satisfied, he began massaging her left hindpaw, but she pulled away, giggling.  
"That's ticklish!" she spoke, not entirely disappointed. He took her other hindpaw and washed it more gently, before allowing her legs to wrap around him once again. He took the bottle and squeezed small dollops onto the tip of her snout and her forehead, before working them in. He paid special attention to her ears and under her chin, before massaging the back of her neck. She moaned in pleasure as he gently pinched her nape, before suddenly pulling away.  
"Something wrong?" he asked, frowning slightly.  
"Can you not pinch my nape?"  
"I thought you enjoyed it."  
"I… just not now."  
"Very well, then."  
They sat silently, Leora rubbing up against him for several more seconds before stopping.  
"Now what? Are you gonna leave me covered in soap?"  
"Only for a while." He nuzzled her neck and pulled her very close, rubbing his arms across her back, and his chest against hers. When she figured out what he was doing, she gave him a disappointed look.  
"I'm not a loofah."  
"But you're so soft that it's a thousand times better," he responded. "Come on, it's a two-for-one deal. I wash you, and you wash me."  
She rolled her eyes and smiled, running her arms around his body. Soon, they were both covered in soap. Leora closed her eyes and laughed, nuzzling up against him. Spying his opportunity, he took a handful of suds and placed it on the tip of her nose.  
Sensing that he stopped, she opened her eyes and stared down the length of her snout. Displeased, she scrunched her eyes before shaking her head vigorously. The soap had flown off straight into Kai's eyes; he shut them and scowled.  
Seeing his displeasure, she couldn't suppress her laughter as she chided him.  
"Are you happy now?" she began, humorously. "You brought that on yourself."  
Kai wiped his face and produced a toothy grin. He also shook his head, causing soap from his hair to fly into her face.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry dear," he began sarcastically, putting on a fake frown. "I didn't realize you were sitting there."  
She narrowed her eyes at him, and used one of her paws to wipe the soap from her muzzle. Eyeing him mischievously, she quickly shoved her paw in his face, laughing as he tried to get away from her. After two lengthy seconds of struggle, she managed to press the suds into his face; he accepted his defeat and sat there, taking the blow.  
"Ha, now I win!"  
Leora reached up and turned the shower back on. The warm water ran down the both of them, rinsing them clean. Kai ran his paws through her fur, ensuring that the soap was all gone, before grabbing her tightly and standing again. Seeing his mate's beautiful smile, he leaned forward to give her a gentle kiss on the lips before turning off the water.  
"That was fun," he whispered. "Thank you."  
"Why are you thanking me? You're the one who did all the work."  
"It was fun. I'm thanking you for the experience."  
Leora laughed, shaking herself dry. They exited and took towels, patting themselves off, before Kai lifted her up again. He carried her to the bed and tucked her in, finding a spot next to her.  
"I love you, Garrett."  
"I love you too, kitten."  
She hugged him and quickly dozed off, while he made himself comfortable and laid down, thinking about their future together.

* * *

They sat and cuddled together naked for what felt like hours; Leora was on her side, gently curled, with Kai spooning against her. She lay deep in thought: he was one of a kind, certainly, and he chose her out of everyone. She truly did feel special. She turned and nuzzled against him, purring gently; satisfied with her treatment, she closed her eyes drowsily. Kai continued playing with her fur as he had done earlier; she made no protest as it felt extremely satisfying. Leora was thoroughly content: they had mated and climaxed together. Her heat slowly subsided for the moment.  
"We're doing this again before we check out of the hotel," she stated.  
"We definitely are."  
"You really do fill me just right, and then some," Leora spoke, smiling with her eyes still closed.  
"And you fit me like a glove. A very warm, sopping wet, cuddly glove that purrs and meows and..." He pulled her into a kiss, holding it for several seconds. "And can really kiss."  
She chuckled, rubbing her cheek against his.  
"That's the idea, darling."  
"You know, for the first time in a while, I think I can say that I'm… happy," Kai stated contently.  
"What, you're never happy with me, or something?" Leora said teasingly.  
"No, I mean… this is bliss," he said, motioning to the whole room.  
"Yeah," Leora quietly agreed, before sighing softly, as if to not disturb the serenity. "It really is."  
"Do you know what time it is?"  
"No, but my phone should be over there in my pocket. Why do you ask?"  
"If the light pollution isn't too bad, we should be able to see the stars shine right about now," he answered, hugging her tightly.  
"That sounds romantic, I'd love to." She gave Kai a big smile and a kiss on the lips before untangling herself. She bent down at the foot of the bed to rummage through the clothes, making sure to give him a perfect preview for their next coupling. She couldn't help but lift her tail straight up, giving Kai a great view of her ass and star.  
"Next time, we get to use all of my holes," she purred.  
"Could you please do me a favor?" he spoke softly, half pleading. "Spread for me."  
She obliged, using her paws to pull her haunches apart. Despite having very rough sex in the past few hours, her vulva remained nearly as pristine as it was before they began. The only real indicators that she had any sex at all was that her entrance was ever so slightly stretched.  
"Damn, I love it when you tease me," Kai whispered, feeling his arousal coming back in anticipation. "Next time, I'll make sure to fill you up in any hole you choose."  
She wiggled in satisfaction before returning to her search. Eventually, she found her phone and checked the time.  
"It's just a little past 11."  
He got up, his erection nearly in full swing, and stood behind his still bent over mate. He ran his hands along her rump, then up her sides. He followed up by slowly bending to encompass her, showering her neck in kisses once his stomach and chest were laying fully on her back. Leora let out a moan of pleasure, enjoying the act immensely.  
"Careful, honey. If you prod my rear, I might not be able to hold myself back," she warned playfully, once she felt his sexual parts rub up against hers.  
"Is that a bad thing?" he inquired, pressing his tip against her rear entrance.  
"I suppose not." She chuckled, and then sighed. "Garrett, there's something I need to admit."  
"Anything, I'll never judge you."  
"I... I never thought I could love a mammal in the way I love you." She stood upright and turned to face him, teasing his length between her thighs before hugging him tight. "But, about this morning… there are still things I don't feel ready to talk about. Not because I don't trust you, but because I'm ashamed of them." She turned her head, unwilling to make eye contact, her ears lowering unless they were pressed flat against her head. "I trust you with my life, I do, but I can't help but feel that if you knew everything about me, you would see me as… less."  
Kai took everything she said to heart.  
"You don't have to say anything you don't want to. You can keep as many secrets as you want, and I won't mind. You know, I've lived my whole life up until recently under the notion that I would only ever love war and constant conflict. You changed everything for me, Leora. You're the one mammal that changed me for the better, and not for the worse." Kai began slightly rocking their bodies together from side to side, sliding his shaft between the crux of her thighs. "There's nothing you could tell me that would make me think of you as less. Conflict makes us stronger, and you are already far superior to me in nearly every way." He kissed her on the forehead. "I want you to remember that I'll always be here for you. I'll be your strong foundation to lay on, for you to be safe with. I will love you, always." Kai spoke the last few words in a whisper right beside her head, before gently nipping at her ear.  
Leora turned back to face him and purred.  
"You really are perfect. What did I do to deserve you?"  
"I should be asking that, not you," Kai responded, enjoying the closeness a little longer. Eventually, Leora pulled away before reaching down for her clothes again.  
"You know, I would prefer it if you didn't put your clothes back on," Kai said suggestively. "At least, not for a while."  
"Then what would you rather me wear if we're going to stand out on the deck of the penthouse?"  
"The weather is rather nice. I'm sure we could ride it out in the nude."  
"And if someone sees us?"  
"We're at the top of the tallest building in the city. Who could see us?"  
She contemplated for a moment before shrugging.  
"If you insist, I'm game."  
"It would be an honor," he spoke, bowing and offering her the crook of his arm. "Let's head out."  
She took his arm without a second thought. They walked across the relatively large suite to the double glass doors that lead to the outside deck. Kai held the door for Leora, who smiled back at him.  
"Such a hopeless romantic, aren't you?"  
"Only for you, my love," Kai responded, matching her beautiful smile.  
After closing the door, they promptly walked to the edge of the balcony. Leora leaned against the railing while Kai moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her midsection and allowing their intimate areas to touch once again. He kissed her lightly as they started gazing at the night sky.  
"So many stars out… I didn't think we'd be able to see so many, especially this close to the city center. How many are there, do you think?" she asked Kai in amazement, wrapping her tail around his leg.  
"That depends: we can see around four thousand right now. There are around three hundred billion in the Milky Way."  
"And the universe?"  
"Well, to be honest, we don't know about the whole universe. The observable universe, however, has somewhere around… oh, three-hundred sextillion."  
Leora began counting on her paw pads.  
"A thousand billion billion," he clarified.  
"So many… I wonder if there's life anywhere else out there…"  
"Well, we did send a manned probe to Kepler-442b." Kai pointed far into the sky, and Leora followed his finger. "Right about… there, in the constellation Lyra."  
"Why there?"  
"It's the most Earth-like planet we've ever found. We figured that if there was ever a chance of life, it would be there."  
"Wait, did you say manned probe? How far away is it?"  
"Three-hundred and forty-two parsecs; about one-thousand one-hundred and twenty light-years away."  
"They'd have died for sure before reaching it!" she argued.  
"Well, anyone here who sent them would have died, without a doubt. One thousand years is far too long, even with advanced life support. However, they have special relativity on their side."  
"Meaning?"  
"The faster you go, the slower you experience time. The journey would have taken somewhere around thirty-one years for them, whereas we back home would see them traveling for the full thousand years."  
"So there's a chance that there's a colony of humans on that planet?!" she asked hopefully and excitedly.  
"I doubt it. Five males and two females went aboard, with stores of food and scientific equipment. They probably died off a thousand years ago, after perhaps twenty years on the planet, tops; that is, assuming it is habitable. Any colony they could have started would be massively inbred a few generations in, which I'd wager would prevent them from lasting anything longer than five hundred years. I imagine their equipment would still be transmitting, though."  
"Meaning we could radio them?"  
"No; even if we called, and they were alive, it would take a millennium for them to hear it, and another millennium for us to get the response. What I meant was, if I found the right transmission frequency, we could probably look at their camera feeds from a little after they first landed."  
"We could?" Again, Leora sounded hopeful.  
Kai smiled.  
"It'd be something indeed if it wasn't just a barren rock."  
Leora leaned against him; Kai instinctively put his arm around her back.  
"I love you," she whispered.  
"I love you, too," he replied, closing his eyes and, with his arm draped over her shoulder, hugged her close.  
"Best night ever to the best day ever," Leora stated while they hugged.  
"I couldn't agree more," he responded in turn.  
They both stared into each other's eyes before looking out into the night sky a little while longer. Leora shifted to get more comfortable; his arms instinctively wrapped around her waist as he continued pointing out different constellations and other interesting facts about space, most of which Leora never heard of before. Eventually, a small breeze picked up, causing Leora to lightly shiver.  
"I'm getting a little cold," she spoke, clutching tighter to Kai.  
Kai gave her forehead a gentle kiss.  
"Very well, let's head inside." He took her paw in his hand and led her back inside.  
Once inside the suite, Leora pranced over to the bed and leaped in, face-first.  
"So what do you want to do now?" Kai inquired, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.  
She shifted to face him.  
"I promised Grace I'd call every night. You don't think it's too late, do you?"  
"It should be early evening there, if I'm not mistaken."  
Leora nodded her head and promptly stood to get her laptop, returning a few seconds later. She sat up on the bed, placing the computer before her.  
"How do I hook up to WiFi again?"  
He handed her a placard from the nearby table.  
"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to mix myself a drink. Want anything?"  
"What can you make that's good?"  
"I'm sure I can find some champagne for mimosas."  
"What about a Bloody Meow-ry?"  
"A what?" he pondered momentarily. "You mean a Bloody Mary?"  
"I don't care what you call it, I've always wanted to try one."  
"Have you ever eaten tomato soup?"  
"Once, I didn't like it."  
"Do you like the taste of vodka?"  
"No."  
"Do you think they'd taste good together?"  
"Probably not."  
"Then you'll hate a Bloody Mary."  
She scoffed.  
"Fine, mix me whatever you'll make for yourself."  
He gave her a pleased smile and wandered to the full bar by the kitchen. Leora quickly set up the wireless for her laptop, and called Grace. The call rang ten times before giving no response. She hit spacebar once more, and fell back onto the bed. She placed her paws over her eyes and gently massaged them; the fatigue from several restless nights was starting to get to her.  
"Hey, Leora," she heard from the laptop.  
"Grace, what's up?" she responded, not sitting up.  
"Well, uh… not much, I suppose. How about you?"  
"We saw a lot. The food was pretty great."  
"And the view?"  
"Phenomenal. I took a lot of pictures. Actually, I think I can send them, hold on." Leora sat up and pulled her computer closer before finding something strange: she could see Grace's face on her screen.  
"Huh, did you turn on video?" she inquired.  
"You video called me."  
Leora's paws shot over her nethers as the realization dawned upon her.  
"How much did you see?" she cautiously asked, afraid of the answer.  
"Well, I finally saw what cat vag looks like."  
"Why didn't you mention something when you saw me naked?!"  
"Well, I assumed you had a good reason for not wearing anything while you video called."  
Leora fell back, embarrassed, still covering her loin; she eventually sat back up, removing her paws.  
"Well, it would have happened anyways," she murmured. "May as well get it over with now."  
"Hey," Grace continued, ogling Leora's form. "On the bright side, you have nice tits."  
"Thanks, I grew them myself," the cat sarcastically responded.  
Grace burst out laughing, forcing herself to quiet down.  
"You know, I think this might be the first time that I've seen a friend naked. I had to perform strip searches all the time as a field agent, but…" Her eyes wandered even lower. "Nothing like this. Rather sexy, if I might add."  
"Better than you?" Leora asked, flaunting her body.  
"You wish," Grace interjected, before breathing a slightly worried sigh. "Well… In all honesty, I want to know how you look so good. You've got a nice coat of shiny fur, good nips, and a body practically sculpted in marble."  
"You're too kind; I always thought you looked better, even if you are a mangy dog. Wanna show it off for me?"  
"I'd love to, but I'm stuck pupsitting."  
"He's like one year old, he won't remember anything."  
"Yeah, but anyone who walks in will."  
"Yeah, might want to save it for the big reveal."  
"Big reveal?"  
"Has Ian really not told you?"  
"I'll make sure to _actually_ ask him, instead of just hinting and hoping he comes clean with it. It's about that video you two keep bringing up, isn't it?"  
"It is."  
"Well, I hope it's nothing too serious," Grace muttered. "Anyways, do you wanna maybe cover up? I mean, I don't particularly mind, but you might regret it in the morning."  
"I don't mind if you don't mind. We're both females at the end of the day."  
"I suppose, but… you aren't drunk, are you?"  
"I wish. Garrett's getting us drinks."  
"So he's there?"  
"Of course he's here, why else would I be naked?"  
"Yeah yeah, smartass. How is ugly face?"  
"Ugly face?"  
"Ugly face, no-snout, I have a lot of cute nicknames for him."  
"Your cute nicknames offend me," Kai shouted from the kitchen.  
"Oh, he heard me?" Grace responded, grinning meekly.  
"Of course I heard you," Kai continued, walking back to Leora. He sat on the edge of the bed and handed her a drink.  
"I still can't see him."  
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where the camera was pointed."  
"Oh, I'll bet."  
Leora turned her laptop slightly until Kai sat in the frame. Grace jumped, covering her eyes.  
"He's not wearing anything either, I see," she quickly blurted out.  
"I mean, we did just finish having sex," Leora retorted.  
"Well, at least you didn't call me while you were having sex." Grace slowly dared a peek from between her fingers, quickly removing her paw from her face entirely. "Eh, I can't see anything of his anyways."  
"I can arrange that, if you want," Kai piped up, laughing at his own words. Grace's eyebrows went up from his statement.  
"Arrange what? Doing it on camera or flashing your dong?"  
"Both."  
Leora hit him lightly.  
"I thought you belonged exclusively to me," she spoke, feigning insult.  
"I'm a human, my heritage is to be shared with all of the world!" he responded, waving his arms grandly.  
"I'm sure it's a rather large heritage," Grace mumbled, raising her eyebrows seductively. "Mind sharing it with the rest of the world, so to speak?"  
"Listen," Leora answered, "If you want an interactive lesson on human anatomy, you could have asked back when we were still in Zootopia. I could have shared him with you for the night."  
"You'd whore me out to a senator's wife?" Kai inquired, amused.  
"For science!" Grace piped up, raising a finger. "Anyways, remind me when you get back, I just might take you up on that offer."  
"Sure thing. Anyways, how are you guys?" Leora asked, scooting closer to Kai.  
"Achernar's still out on that dig. Turns out they found a ton of human bones, well over a hundred bodies."  
"It's possible that he found a mass grave," Kai offered. "If you get a chance, ask him if there were holes in the skulls."  
"I'll remember to run it by him the next time I see him."  
"Also ask him if the bones are crumbling or flaking, it could also be a poison."  
"Yeah, sure. Anyways, we're still alive and mostly well. Here." Grace tapped on her screen to switch the view to the rear facing camera. Kai and Leora now had a good view of the crib, and the infant playing with a rather simple stuffed fox and giraffe therein. "For some reason he loves the giraffe more than the fox. I'd have preferred the fox."  
"Cute toys, where'd they come from?"  
"I sent Ian for a change of clothes and he took a weird path; he passed by a toy store. I called and asked if he could pick something up."  
"How did he take it when you called him?"  
"He freaked out and asked if I have mammals watching him. I mean, I do, but that time it was just the tracker."  
"Well, other than being scared half to death, how is he?" Kai asked.  
"Ian's fine, but he won't shut up about winning a round of poker against you." She then quickly mocked in falsetto to give them an impression. "Also, since I know he won't say it, thank you for folding in the last round. I looked at the cards before Ian could and put them back into the deck."  
"I got bored of his complaints. I would have given him the eye anyways, I just wanted him to feel like he earned it."  
"Speaking of which, how did you win so many rounds? I know you can't be that lucky."  
Kai tapped gently on one of his closed eyes.  
"I can see through the cards."  
"You can what?!" Grace and Leora nearly shouted, staring at him wildly.  
"I don't know why this is a surprise. Light of sufficient energy can pass through anything, and my eyes can catch most wavelengths on the spectrum."  
"And his new eye?" the she-wolf asked.  
"Probably the same, but I might have to tune it down to prevent sensory overload."  
"Good. Lord knows Ian doesn't need to see through clothes."  
"It's delicate. If he's fine with the new eye, I don't want to turn it down, since it might injure his visual cortex."  
Grace groaned.  
"Fine. Say, wanna say hi? He's in the other room working on legal papers."  
Grace picked Ichiro up from the crib, switched the camera back to the front, and began walking. She soon stood behind Sirius, putting him in camera view. He didn't take his attention from his papers.  
"Hello dear," Sirius spoke softly, writing intently. "Who's this?"  
"Nobody in particular. Just two mammals who wanted to check on the kid and his crazy uncle."  
Sirius' glanced at the phone's screen, eyes quickly going wide.  
"Do they know they're naked?" he quietly asked of Grace.  
"We know," Kai announced. "We just don't care."  
"Whatever, as long as you don't helicopter. So how is Honshu?" Sirius inquired. "Is the food any good?"  
"It's phenomenal, you should come some time."  
"Yeah, that would be nice. I hear they throw sweet parties in Edo," Ian spoke, wiggling his eyebrows at his wife.  
"If we go, honey, we're sticking to class parties. Dinner parties, galas, balls," Grace responded sternly to her husband. "No raves."  
"Oh, come on!" Sirius whimpered.  
"If we're going, we're going to a dinner party Ian. I'm your wife, don't you dare disobey me."  
"But why?" he asked, giving her his best puppy face.  
"Don't give me that face!"  
Ian placed his laptop on the floor, rolled up his sleeves, sat on all fours, drooped his ears, and pouted.  
"No," Grace muttered.  
"You impress me with your will to resist, Grace," Kai interjected. "I'd have given in to that. Maybe if he ditched the suit, but still."  
"Huh, now I know how to get anything from you," Grace teased. "I can do that even better than him."  
"Like I said, you've got to ditch the suit, first."  
She scowled.  
"Fine, you get to rave, but I'm shoving that watch up your ass if you so much as think about getting lost."  
"Yes!" he spoke, pumping his fist.  
"I wasn't kidding Maximilian, I swear to all that is holy, if you get out of my sight for even a second, I don't know how I'll maim you."  
"Duly noted," Sirius responded, chuckling nervously,checking the time. "Well, if it's alright with you, I still have a lot of paperwork to finish."  
"Alright then, see you soon," Leora spoke, waving him farewell. He picked up his laptop and moved away. Grace went back to the crib and placed Ichiro in.  
"Now that that's over with, you were going to send pictures?" she finally spoke.  
"Oh, right. Garrett, you can go."  
Kai chuckled.  
"I understand. Woman talk." He stood and left.  
Leora talked up a storm with Grace for well over an hour about nothing in particular. They sent pictures back and forth and laughed about the future and the past.  
"You know," Grace muttered, a slight tinge of disappointment in her voice. "You're lucky you have him."  
"You sound like you're going to take him," Leora teased.  
"No, but I have plenty of friends that would jump all over the chance to be with someone even half the male he is," Grace continued, hushing her voice. "Just don't tell him I said that."  
"Tell me what?" Kai inquired, small device in hand.  
"Nothing, love," she quickly deflected. "Say, what's that in your paw?"  
"A camera. I found it in the bathroom vent."  
"It didn't record anything, did it?!" Leora practically shouted.  
"Nah, I nuked the crap out of every video feed in the hotel room."  
"Why would anyone record the penthouse suite?"  
"It's a form of blackmail. These suites are normally for the rich and famous, so hotel staff try to record illicit activities and sell the tapes back for ludicrous amounts of money."  
"That's terrible!" she responded, covering herself. "I've seen it happen in movies, but I wouldn't have thought someone would try to do it to me."  
"Don't worry," Kai spoke, tossing her a bathrobe from across the room. "They got nothing."  
Leora quickly put the robe on.  
"Anyways, Grace, I think it's time we called it a night."  
"Yeah, sure," Grace responded. "Take care, you two."  
Leora hung up and closed the lid on her laptop, setting it on the nightstand.  
"Ready when you are," she crooned.  
"Hold on a second," he responded, picking her up and setting her on the couch.  
"The couch?"  
"A second, a second!" he responded, removing the sheets from the bed and finding replacements in the closet. Once the new sheets were on, he carried her back and tucked her in, quickly finding a place next to her. She sniffed at the sheets.  
"Mmm, fresh linens," Leora muttered, running her paws across the fabric. "Say, what time is it?"  
"Just past midnight."  
"Oh, I spent a lot longer talking to Grace than I thought."  
"Don't worry about it. I hogged you for the whole night, I think Grace can borrow you for a measly hour."  
She giggled and kissed him.  
"I love you," she spoke, closing her eyes and snuggling contentedly. He pulled her in and held her tight; as careful as he could, he gave her a tender kiss on the forehead.  
"Goodnight, kitten. I love you too." He leaned back and closed his eyes. The only sound in the room was Leora's gentle breathing and strong heartbeat. He listened until he, too, drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: I guess I get to put the lemon out, first. If the stargazing seems familiar, it's because we actually copy-pasted from my last lemon. I enjoyed the segment so much that I felt bad leaving it non-canon.**

 **Part 4 will probably come out tomorrow.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Several Hours Later**

Leora opened her eyes and found herself staring down the barrel of a pistol. She instantly recoiled, but her assailant struck her across the face, causing blood to slowly trickle down her cheek.  
"Who are you?!" she demanded, massaging her wound gingerly.  
"Take your robe off," the familiar voice demanded, cocking the gun.  
"No," she responded firmly, snarling. He shot her in the leg; the pain was excruciating.  
"Take your damn clothes off!" he shouted again.  
She reluctantly undid the strap on her robe, hesitating. A large paw reached forward and pulled the robe apart before darting between her thighs. She screamed, swatting at the paw, but the gun came down on her face again. She heard something break and felt extremely weak. She lay, unable to move or scream as her attacker slowly pressed his finger against her nethers. She felt her muscles giving, before…  
Leora shot up and screamed, jumping out of bed and incidentally taking the covers with her. She scampered across the floor, getting tangled in the sheets before coming to a stop in the corner.  
"Leora, what's wrong?!" Kai cried out, leaping after her and cradling her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she buried her face in his lap. She didn't answer, and he held her tightly against his chest. **  
**"It wasn't real," he assured. "It's not real."  
"It felt so real," she whimpered, untangling herself from the blankets and hugging him back.  
"What happened?" he asked, caressing her gently.  
"I don't want to talk about it," she muttered.  
"Talking will help."  
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" she shouted, pushing him away and wrapping herself up again, lying down and facing the other direction.  
He sighed and hugged her again.  
"You don't have to." He checked the clock; it was still early in the morning. "I take it you don't want to sleep anymore?"  
"No," she answered, sobbing loudly.  
"There, there," he comforted, kissing her on the forehead. "How about I take you to see the cherry blossoms?"  
She continued silently crying for several minutes, before leaning heavily on him and standing.  
"Let's go," she answered. "I need to take my mind off of it."  
He led her to the shower and turned the water on, making sure it was warm. He threw his robe off but she hesitated. When he reached forward, she turned away.  
"I can do it myself," she said quietly, untying the strap and letting it drop from her shoulders. She took his hand and followed him into the shower. He scrubbed her down carefully, but when he went lower than her midriff, she stopped him.  
"I can get it," she quickly mentioned, snatching the bottle of shampoo from him.  
"Leora, I know what you felt was painful, but we can get help, I can find a-"  
"Just shut it!"  
He immediately quieted down. He remained quiet until she exited the shower stall.  
"What do you want to wear?" he inquired, opening her pack and looking through.  
"I'll find something," she mumbled in response. "Dress yourself first before offering to help me."  
Although he expected a joking tone, he heard only anguish. He reluctantly dressed in his usual attire before coming back. She had only put on her underwear and was staring blankly at the wall.  
"Leora…" he began, putting an arm around her shoulders.  
"What do you think about the red cardigan with jeans?"  
"I… Fine. I think it looks fine.  
"Alright. Care to help me out?"  
He fished out the aforementioned articles of clothing and helped her get dressed. Soon, they were ready to set out. **  
**They took the private elevator down. Kai glanced at his partner, but she continued blankly staring forward.  
"How are you feeling?"  
"I'm fine."  
"I won't pressure you, but if you want or need my help… I'm here."  
" _I'm fine_ ," she reiterated, adding a slight growl.  
"You're not weak if you want help. Only the strong can admit that they need it," he pleaded.  
She bared her fangs and glared at him. He felt crushed, but kept up the facade of contentedness. Eventually, the elevator arrived. He led his mate through the lobby and out the hotel. They went past numerous city blocks. The entire time, she refused to speak. **  
**Once they reached the riverside, Leora stopped in her tracks.  
"Leora?" Kai spoke, waiting for her.  
"Garrett?" she muttered quietly, standing her ground. He returned to her, and she held her arms wide. He accepted the hug, pulling her in tightly and slightly squeezing her. "I love you."  
"I love you too, kitten," he answered, spinning her around. "I'm sorry that I pressed the issue."  
"It's not your fault," she muttered back, sighing deeply. "I'm ready to see those blossoms if you are." **  
**"Of course." He set her down, kissed her lightly, and continued along his path. **  
**They proceeded along the river until Kai paused several minutes later.  
"Hmm?" Leora voiced, glancing at him. He pointed far down river.  
"There. The cherry blossoms are in bloom."  
She followed his finger, only seeing a blur of white and pink.  
"Can we get closer?"  
"Of course," he responded. They continued until the trees came in full view. Leora looked around, entranced by their beauty.  
"They're amazing," she breathed, glancing around, twirling to see the entirety of the river bank..  
"They're in bloom for two weeks a year," Kai stated, holding her close. "We got lucky, it seems."  
She turned to face him and kissed him deeply.  
"I'm glad I met you," she stated, leaning heavily on him. He hugged her for several minutes, until she broke the embrace. "What else can you show me?"  
"I'm not sure what's still around, but I could try for a tour of the city."  
"That would be lovely," she answered, pecking him once more before he set out.

* * *

The duo had walked all across the city for several hours; they had just exited a restaurant when Kai took off into a seemingly random direction.  
"Where are you going?" she questioned, exhausted from their walks.  
"I want to see if the National Garden still exists." **  
**They weaved through the nearly innumerable pedestrians, crossing over from densely packed skyscrapers to densely packed trees. Leora watched in amazement as the trees went from stocky to tall, and then back again. The smell was phenomenal: fresh, almost like exotic spices, and strangely calming. **  
**Eventually, they came out of the other end of the greenery back into more buildings. **  
**"Damn, I suppose the Garden's gone. It was my favorite part of Tokyo, I was looking forward to giving you a tour," Kai responded, slightly upset. **  
**"Don't feel sad love, what else can you give a tour of?" **  
**"The Imperial Palace and Menagerie, but I doubt they're still around." **  
**"It's still mid morning, wanna check?" **  
**"Sure. It'll be a hike, though." **  
**"I'm fine with walking." **  
**They merged with the rest of the pedestrians and walked through several dozen blocks. They came into another park which was sparsely populated. They went to the far end of the park where the pavement ended. Kai lead Leora several more miles along a well-trodden path until he came to a heavily mossed over clearing. The light was scarce through the trees, leaving a dim atmosphere. There was a large brick terrace in the middle of the clearing; Kai approached and scraped some of the moss off, revealing concentric circles of light and dark red rings. **  
**"Well, this is the plaza leading up to the palace," Kai explained. "What's left of it, anyways. There used to be booths around here, but it appears that it's all rubble and dust now."  
And the palace? The menagerie?" **  
**"The palace and menagerie are further up this hill." **  
**Leora looked up and could barely make out some form of architecture through the forest. **  
**"Looks like it's still there! Let's go!" she responded giddily. **  
**They proceeded through the trees, coming upon a rather well-kept castle. **  
**"It's a lot better preserved than I thought it would be," Kai remarked. **  
**"Can we go inside?" **  
**"Sure. Mind the moat." **  
**"Moat?" **  
**He chuckled.  
"I jest." After a smirk and an eyeroll, Leora followed Kai. **  
**They walked over a bridge and passed through an open gate. Along the path, they saw tracks that couldn't have been there for more than a season. **  
**"I guess other mammals visit, too. I'm amazed there isn't as much vandalism." **  
**At the top of the hill was a wooden structure, with a much larger brick building behind it. The door was shut, but appeared to have no lock. Kai turned the handle and opened it. Inside of the antechamber were several tigers and wolves standing near the middle and farther into the room; each of them had distinct white patches in their fur, detailing intricate patterns of dragons, cherry blossoms, and kanji. Several of them wore robes, but most had only a white cloth wrapped around their loin. **  
**As Kai and Leora walked through the room, they were stopped by two of the tigers. One of them held his paw and demanded something of Leora. **  
**"I don't…" she responded, shaking her head. **  
**"Foreigner, eh?" the second one spoke. "Tickets?" **  
**"What for?" **  
**"No ticket, no entry." **  
**"How much is a ticket?" **  
**The first relayed her sentiment to the second, and they both laughed. **  
**"No price." **  
**Kai barked back at them in Japanese, prompting one to show extreme annoyance, and the second to go through a door in the rear of the room. **  
**"What did you say?" Leora whispered. **  
**"I hurt his feelings, so he's getting his boss." **  
**Sure enough, the tiger returned with a clouded leopard. **  
**"You wished to speak with me, foreigner?" he began warily, glaring at Kai. "You are either ignorant or stupid. What are you doing here?" **  
**"We wanted a tour," Kai responded. **  
**Everyone who understood him laughed. **  
**"A tour of my private castle? Why?" **  
**"My friend Leora wanted to see the imperial palace of Japan." **  
**"So that's why she's here. Why are you here?" **  
**"I'm looking for a wolf." **  
**"You will find no wolf here."  
Kai casually glanced at one of the wolves in the corner of the room, who tried his hardest to avoid the man's gaze.  
"But surely someone in your standing would know everyone in the city?" Kai continued. **  
**"So what if I do?" **  
**"Tell me, what do you know of a wolf named Jin-Roh?" **  
**The boss stifled a laugh, struggling to maintain his calm expression. **  
**"I should have guessed that a tourist was stupid enough to chase after a fable, but I have to admit, you made it farther than most." **  
**"Fable?" **  
**"So you seek him and you don't know?" **  
**"Enlighten me." **  
**"Legend holds that six hundred years ago, Jin-Roh the Shapeshifter descended from Ame—heaven, rather—to aid Edo in its darkest hour. He defended the land from invaders when all others had failed. In his finest hour, he alone fought ten thousand Manchurian wolves in the fields outside of the city. When he ran out of arrows, he used his staff. When his staff shattered, he used his sword. When his sword dulled, he used his own two paws. When the battle was won, he returned here to this very castle, but refused any tokens of gratitude. Before he returned to Ame, he sealed his private chambers in the lowest level of the castle. No one could open them since." **  
**"So what are you here for, then?" Kai inquired suspiciously. **  
**"Every year we hold a tournament in his honor. Unofficially, of course, but we still see tens of thousands attend. We find the finest fighters in the world, and each competes for both the prize pool, and any one thing they desire." **  
**"What does any of that have to do with Jin-Roh?" **  
**"He denied anything we offered, so it is traditional to give those that have proven their worth what we would have given him." **  
**"So the tickets are for the tournament?" **  
**The clouded leopard chuckled. **  
**"That depends. Do you have tickets?" **  
**"How much are they?" **  
**"A million." **  
**Kai reached into his coat. **  
**"Each." **  
**He rolled his eyes but fished out two million in Honshu bills. **  
**"You appear to be a million and a half short. A million _Zootopian bucks_ each, if you would." **  
**"Fucking extortionist," Kai muttered, throwing two large stacks of bills onto the floor. **  
**"Tournament is tomorrow. Enjoy yourselves," the elderly leopard spoke, smiling. **  
**"How do I participate?" **  
**"Why?" **  
**"Any one thing I desire sounds pretty good, especially if it's seeing Jin-Roh's private chambers." **  
**"Bracket's full. Unless…" he eyed Leora up and down. "Both of you enroll. I'm sure we can fit an extra seed in." **  
**"Only if we don't meet until finals." **  
**"That would be rigging." **  
**"If there's anything Yaks do best, it's rigging," Kai spoke slyly. **  
**The mobster sneered, but shrugged. **  
**"Fine. Yukio, fetch them uniforms." **  
**"Uniforms?" **  
**"You have your choice between heavy and light dogi." **  
**Yukio held up both neatly folded options; Leora grabbed the thinner one, but Kai stood his ground. **  
**"Nothing practical?" he inquired. **  
**"Different styles have different customs. We don't allow plain clothes, since one could easily smuggle a weapon." **  
**"How much for a silk uniform, cloth fasteners in front, long sleeve, good length?" **  
**Again, everyone laughed. **  
**"Are you a movie star? What, you expect not to get hit once?" He chuckled once more. "No matter; I'll see if I can have something arranged. You know, you might just be the most interesting participant we have ever had, or perhaps will ever have." **  
**"Now, can we finally tour the grounds?" **  
**"Do whatever, but be back before dark. All participants must be accounted for in the coming hours. Speaking of which…" He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small notepad. "I need names for the registry." **  
**"My friend here is Leora, and I am Kai." **  
**"Kai?!" They cracked up laughing. "How fitting that one fable should chase another. Do you know how many applicants we get that try to register as that?" **  
**"It's his real name," Leora vouched. **  
**"Yeah, and Yukio's a pipsqueak." **  
**"If I kick pipsqueak's ass, will you let me register my name as Kai?" Kai queried. **  
**"Yukio won the last four tournaments consecutively. As much as I want to see him twist you into a pretzel, you'll save it for the ring. Register as what you want." **  
**"So that's what you've been doing? You have your henchmen enter the tournament, charge outrageous fees, and always collect the pot?" **  
**"Business is business, what can I say?" **  
**Kai scoffed and brushed past the boss. **  
**"Come, Leora." **  
**The pair walked to the end of the room, where a large tiger opened a door for them. As they passed through, the cat took a deep drag from his cigarette, and attempted to extinguish it on Leora's shoulder. Kai swiftly shattered the tiger's jaw, grabbed the arm still holding the cigarette and broke it nearly in two, dislocated his knee and dropped him where he stood, all before the cigarette even hit the ground. The rest of the henchmen nearly sprung to action, but their boss stopped them. **  
**"You should teach your idiots manners," Kai shouted. **  
**"You took care of it rather swiftly. I must say, for a foreigner, you're rather skilled." **  
**"So you don't care about what he just did?!" Kai upstarted, furious. **  
**"He got what was coming. I'm sure he learned his lesson." **  
**"You had best see that it doesn't happen again, unless you want to end up like him." **  
**"Is that a threat?" **  
**"Oh no, it's not a threat. It's a promise," he seethed. **  
**Kai kicked the downed feline in the head one last time and slammed the door shut, continuing along the interior walkways with Leora. **  
**"You've got this in the bag," Leora mentioned.  
"It's not me I'm worried about. You can practically smell the steroids exuding from those guys."  
"If there's anything you taught me that stuck, it would have to be fighting."  
"I have faith."  
"I suppose."  
Kai put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. **  
**"I believe in you." **  
**She hugged him tightly before resuming along the path.  
"So, where's the menagerie?"  
"We're standing in it."  
She glanced around.  
"We are?"  
"Do you see that deep pit there, with the mossed bricks and tall grass?"  
"Yeah?"  
"That was the lion pit. The one to the left of it housed giraffes, and the one to the right held hippos. This whole wing we're in was the Africa exhibit."  
"Africa?"  
"Beautiful land, but regrettably poor and desolate in most regions."  
"What about leopards?"  
He walked several paces to a very wide enclosure with several large rocks stacked in the center.  
"It's huge, how many leopards lived here?" she inquired.  
"Just one. The emperor's loyal companion, and the crown prince's guardian, Doraemon."  
She began to laugh.  
"I thought my father's tales were just fantasy."  
"The fact that I exist should be some indicator that it wasn't."  
"No, I understand that Honshu was once ruled by a human empire, but I thought the story of the talking leopard Doraemon was just a fable."  
"He wasn't. Want to take it for a spin?"  
She nodded excitedly, leaping and prancing on all fours much like her ancestor would have, all about the enclosure, before eventually hopping up and lying down in a ray of light on the rock.  
"It's rather roomy. I'd even go as far as to say comfy, if it weren't for the dirt and rocks. A mattress could have gone a long way." She laid her head down and closed her eyes, resting for several moments before standing up and leaping down to the walls of the enclosure. "Is it true that he was the first mammal to talk?"  
"I wouldn't say first, since lab rats almost always hold that title, but it was rumored, yes."  
"Rumored?"  
"He supposedly only spoke to the emperor and the crown prince, so there's no way to verify the truth."  
She easily leapt out, quickly making her way back to the path by Kai.  
"The walls aren't very high. Not nearly as high as the one for the lions."  
"Doraemon wasn't held against his will. They had no reason to be high."  
She hummed approvingly and nuzzled his neck. Kai's jolly expression quickly went blank.  
"You can come out," he spoke, seemingly to no one. Nothing happened.  
"Who are you talking to?"  
"Come out, or I'll shoot." Kai withdrew a handgun from his coat and held it aloft. Two tigers walked from around the corner, holding their paws up.  
"Relax, foreigner, we just wanted to see the competition," one of them spoke. "Would you be up for a friendly spar?"  
"Fuck off, we're having a moment!" Leora hissed.  
Kai stared for a moment, before giving the weapon to Leora.  
"Fine. If I win, you leave us alone."  
"And if we win?" the second questioned.  
"You won't." Kai held one hand behind his back and raised the second one, turning his palm outwards. "Whenever you feel like losing."  
One of them dropped on all fours and charged, pouncing him. Kai ducked under and struck to the tiger's ribs, throwing him into Doraemon's enclosure. The second approached more cautiously, holding both paws up.  
"You are good," he complimented.  
"Just have your go and leave us in peace."  
The second tiger flew in with a reverse roundhouse kick, which Kai ducked under. When the tiger spun around for a second chance, Kai slapped him across the face with enough force to send him tumbling into the enclosure as well. Kai brushed the nonexistent dust from his coat before taking the weapon back from Leora.  
"Would you like to see if the reflecting ponds and rock gardens still exist?" he asked of her, ignoring the two groaning felines.  
She took his arm and they began walking, but was shortly stopped by the elderly clouded leopard.  
"Excuse me!" he called; they stopped and turned to listen. "I sent two tigers here to get you, where are they?"  
"They wanted to fight so I left them in a ditch."  
The mob boss chuckled.  
"I figured as much. Those two are headstrong; I suspected something like this might happen, but I knew you could handle yourself. We need you both to fill out some paperwork. Nothing too lengthy. Most of your competitors are starting to arrive and we need to get the fights organized. There's food, if you're hungry."  
"I could go for something to eat," Leora admitted quietly.  
"Alright, we'll go," Kai responded to the elderly mammal. "Lead the way."

* * *

 **Zootopia  
Tundratown**

A small black vixen was awoken by her ringing phone. She checked the time; just past five. She picked it up and glanced at the screen:

 _3 month checkup, asylum_.

She groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning.  
"It's awfully early, Lyra," her partner spoke; he reached and held her paw, his white fur clashing vividly against her black fingers. "Do you have to go?"  
"Unfortunately, yes," she answered, holding his paw gingerly and getting out of bed. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."  
"You know I can't call off today."  
"I know. Don't worry, I'll be back in time to have breakfast."  
Lyra opened the closet doors and glanced at the array of clothing therein. The selection was rather small, consisting of two dresses, two sets of casual wear, two sets of colorful pajamas, and roughly a dozen labcoats. She put on one of her many labcoats, put her badge around her neck, placed a few necessities into her pockets, and set out. **  
**She made it to the entrance of the apartment complex's lobby, nearly deserted save for a half-sleeping polar bear at the front desk. As soon as she opened the door to the outside, a blast of snow and cold air nearly swept her off of her paws. **  
**The vixen grumbled but trudged through the snow nonetheless. She made it several blocks before she could hail a taxi, and rode to the asylum in the far corner of Tundratown. She paid the driver with whatever loose change she could scavenge, before exiting to the curb. **  
**Lyra stared up the hill. The snow vents behind the building gave it an ominous, shrouded appearance; she could almost imagine lightning bolts and meteors raining down past the horizon. She removed a cherry lollipop from her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth, before slowly making her ascent to the asylum. Although the flavor was incredibly artificial, it reminded her of the brief times when her mother and father were still alive, and when her father still cared, when she and her family would go out for candy. She sighed, relishing in the memory. **  
**When Lyra arrived at the top, she hit the handicap door opener. Although there were appropriately sized doors with handles she could reach, she didn't possess the strength to open them against the wind. The motor whined in protest, but opened the door nonetheless. Now inside, she approached the front desk, where several much taller doctors were conversing. One of them glanced down at her.  
"Dr. Karahan, what a pleasure," he spoke dryly. "I assume you're here to see the leopards?"  
"Yep," she responded, crushing the lollipop between her teeth. Every one of the other doctors' ears flinched at the noise.  
"You do know that those are incredibly bad for you, right?"  
"What do you know, I also have a medical degree."  
"And you do know that the noise is highly irritating?"  
She crunched down on the remnants of the sucker before pulling another one from her pocket.  
"I also know that you're not my father. Open the door."  
"I almost don't want to," he muttered, buzzing the lock open.  
"Hey, you always schedule me in for six in the morning. You know I hate mornings. If you don't want me, schedule me in on your off hours."  
She tossed the stick into a waste bin and pushed the doors open, proceeding through the unwelcoming halls.  
"Ah, Regulus," she heard from behind; she turned and saw a small tanuki running after her, his labcoat flailing behind him.  
"Alcor, what are you doing here?" she inquired, waiting for him to catch up. "I thought you started at noon."  
"Usually, yes, but we do have a checkup today." He handed her a clipboard full of charts, which she began skimming along the walk.  
"Looks like the viral treatment is working," she noticed, flipping several papers over.  
"With limited results. Their short-term memory has improved drastically, but their long-term memory is still poor."  
"Any effect on cognitive functions?"  
"Currently, no. Didn't improve, didn't degrade."  
"And Jack?"  
"His vitals stopped changing."  
"Looks like the antivirals worked, then; the old virus is out of his system. Let's go check on the leopards, first."  
They eventually reached a cozy wooden door. Lyra first knocked on the door, waited for a response, and then jumped and turned the handle, allowing the door to swing open. Inside, two elderly leopards had just finished getting dressed.  
"Hello, doctors!" the male had announced, offering them a seat; they both declined. "Can we get you anything?"  
"Nothing, thanks. Could you two take a seat?" Lyra began. They both sat down, so she pulled a chair up to them and hopped up, standing on the seat. She pulled several instruments from her pockets and methodically checked their eyes, ears, and other features. Satisfied, she jotted some notes onto the clipboard and jumped down.  
"You two look rather healthy," she explained. "Treatment seems to be working. No obvious side effects. Any complaints?"  
They shook their heads, before the female's face lit up.  
"Oh, actually, we do have a complaint."  
"We?" Lyra looked up and raised her brow.  
"We haven't seen Jack in a while."  
"Good that you remembered!" she complimented with a troubled tone. "But… that's strange that Jack doesn't visit anymore."  
Lyra turned to her fellow doctor and cleared her throat loudly.  
"Oh, well…" Alcor answered sheepishly. "I'll see if I can arrange something."  
"Excellent. I think we can conclude our checkup, then."  
"Are you going to see Jack, now?" the leopardess inquired.  
"Yep."  
"Actually…" Alcor mumbled. "Can I get a word?"  
"About what?"  
They walked off to the corner; their patients continued staring.  
"It's about Jack. I've canceled the appointment so he can go-"  
"Are you shitting me?!" she protested, raising her voice. "I get up at five in the morning once a month to see these mammals, and you cancel an appointment without consulting me, first?"  
"He didn't feel comfortable with the time."  
"Well, fuck him, I'm getting these charts filled if it kills me." She turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.  
"Don't."  
"Alcor, this isn't funny." She tugged on her wrist, but he held tight. "What are you not telling me?"  
"You're not seeing Jack."  
"Why not? Take me to the security room, then. If he won't get a checkup, at least let me observe him on the cameras."  
Alcor hesitated, before taking his radio in his paw and bringing it close.  
"Security… detain Doctor Karahan."  
"What are you doing?!" she shouted, yanking at her wrist.  
"She's going berserk," he continued into the radio.  
Lyra lunged forwards and punched him dead in the snout. He released her and clutched at his face, crying out as shard of his glasses were forced into his eyes. She quickly took his keys and sprinted out of the room. She ran to Jack's cell and fumbled momentarily with the keys before unlocking the door and peeking inside. She couldn't see him, so she threw the door open. Before she could get a better look, she was tackled from behind by Alcor, who was rambling furiously.  
"Where's Jack?!" Lyra shouted.  
"You can't know!" he yelled back, struggling to restrain her. She threw him over her head and raked her claws across his eyes, blinding him, before taking the patient chart from the wall and running out. She drew her phone and dialed her mate.  
"Sorry I missed coffee, the precinct called and wanted me to come in earlier. I-"  
"Neal!" she yelled into the receiver, checking over her shoulder. Two security guards stumbled across the room. One stopped to check on the maimed doctor while the second gave chase.  
"What's wrong?" Neal spoke back, voice filled with worry.  
"Help, I'm at the asylum and Doctor Viverin attacked me!" She dodged a poorly timed tackle from the guard, throwing open the next set of doors and continuing her escape. On the other end of the line, she heard papers fumbling and drawers sliding. "Everyone's going crazy!"  
"I'll be there in three minutes." He hung up, leaving her to her wits. **  
**She was quickly running out of hallway to run down, and the only doors left were rooms, and the entrance, both of which required keys. She glanced over her shoulder again; the guard was gaining on her once more. **  
**The vixen reached the end of the corridor and quickly put the key in, turning it and throwing the doors open. A guard and the pack of doctors were waiting for her. The stocky security mammal grabbed hold of her but she managed to wrest her way free. She nearly made it to the main entrance, but the first guard grabbed hold of her ankle, and the second pushed her against the ground. The rest of the mammals soon shuffled in to help restrain her.  
"Let go of me!" she cried, struggling in vain. She saw one of the doctors draw sedative from a vial into a syringe; she braced for the worst and felt a prick. However, as soon as the needle went all the way into her haunch, the glass in the front doors broke. On the other side stood Neal wielding a pistol. **  
**"No one move," he demanded. When he saw the doctor holding the needle, he pointed the gun straight for his head. "Push that, and it'll be the last thing you do."  
One of the security guards lunged; a loud crack resonated through the air as Neal fired into his gut. The slender gazelle collapsed, clutching at his bleeding wound. The second guard nearly jumped in to help, but Neal trained the gun at him, shaking his head.  
"This gun chambers seventeen rounds of nine millimeter, easily enough to kill each of you twice over. All of you, to that corner," he demanded, motioning with the barrel of his weapon. The doctors all slowly backed away, save for the one holding the needle. "You, too."  
The physician stood his ground. Neal shot his leg, causing him to collapse backwards, taking the needle with him. Lyra quickly sprang up and ran to his side; he briefly comforted her before training his gun back on them. **  
**Soon, the sounds of police sirens and an ambulance overwhelmed the lobby. Neal waved to the officers who came from the car. Out of the furthest back, Chief Bogo himself exited.  
"Run to them," Neal whispered to Lyra. She quickly obeyed, running to the safety of one of the squad cars. As she passed the large buffalo, he glared at her.  
"Tranq him," Bogo spoke to the officers. Before Lyra could react, several darts sailed through the air, striking Neal and downing him.  
"No!" she shouted, running to Bogo. She pounded at his leg before swiftly being detained. Cuffs and a muzzle were placed on her, and Bogo led her away to a secluded area.  
"We'll talk when we get to the lodge. As for your pal," he slowly uttered, pointing to Neal, who was carried and stuffed into the back of a squad car. "I was looking for an excuse to get rid of him. I knew he was unstable, and he shoots up a hospital!"  
"It's not what you think!" she shouted. "He's not unstable! Viverin attacked me first, and Jack is-"  
Bogo tightened the screw on the muzzle; the metal cut into her snout, causing her great pain. She could no longer open her mouth to protest.  
"You will be silent!" he commanded. "Insolent little vixen. I'll make sure you get what you deserve."  
An officer began driving her away. She prayed silently through the entire journey.

* * *

 **A/N: Nothing quite like a good cliffhanger to get back on track with the story. Part 4 of 4, so I get to continue working on the plot now.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Japan**

Kai and Leora followed the small elderly feline back to a large tent; inside were dozens of other cats, most larger than them, as well as several large platters of various foods.  
"Now, just a few forms to sign," the clouded leopard spoke, taking a small stack of papers from a desk nearby and handing them to Kai. "Just basic releases."  
Kai quickly breezed through the contract. Satisfied, he penned his signature on the line at the bottom, handing the papers back. Leora did much the same, and they were allowed to roam free once more. They walked over to the platters and began grazing, looking the other contestants over.  
"He looks scary," Leora gossipped, pointing to an enormous tiger who was conversing in the far corner.  
"Like I said, you'll do fine," Kai promised, gently touching her cheek. She smiled, leaning closer to him.  
They ate their fill before stepping outside; the sun had already begun to set, casting long shadows through the sparse foliage of the clearing.  
"I think it's time we retired," Kai announced. "We want to be rested for tomorrow."  
"You mean you think it's time I retired? I'm not even that tired."  
"Your dead gaze and drooping eyelids betray you."  
"I'm not walking all the way back, if that's what you're insinuating."  
"Lucky for us, there are tents for the competitors."  
"Tents," she muttered in disbelief. "Well, I suppose I always wanted to go camping. I'm still not walking, though."  
He picked her up over his shoulders.  
"I was hoping you would hold me in your arms," Leora quietly grumbled.  
"No such luck, I'm afraid," he responded, giving a light chuckle.  
Although she scowled, he could not see it. They proceeded through the fields behind the castle, eventually finding a tent with their names on it. He set her down and peeked inside.  
"Rather roomy," he spoke, taking a seat on one of the mattresses inside. "Come on in."  
She crawled through the opening and laid down on the second mattress.  
"Hey, the beds aren't half bad, either."  
"I'll take first shift."  
"First shift?"  
He raised his eyebrows quizzically. "Do you honestly think I trust these mammals enough to go to sleep while they're stalking around?"  
"Fair point. Wake me up in a couple of hours."  
"You need more than two hours of sleep."  
"Says you."  
"Yes, and I'm always right."  
She grumbled, but turned over, pulled the blanket over herself, and closed her eyes, easily falling asleep.

* * *

Leora opened her eyes; she was alone in the tent, but she could make out three faint figures from beyond the tent's walls. She peeked her head out to get a better look. From the shadows, she saw that they were a tiger, a wolf, and a lion. The lion turned to face her and grinned. He took a step towards her, and she absconded into the safety of the tent. She saw the figure walking around to the entrance; just before he reached the tent flap, Kai appeared from nowhere; he held her shoulders and gently shook her.  
"Leora, are you alright?" he asked. "You were mumbling."  
"No, it's them!"  
Kai turned around. The trio were gone.  
"Who?"  
"There, through the tent!"  
Kai peeked out.  
"There's no one there."  
Leora rubbed her eyes and blinked. It felt as if the sun had spontaneously turned on; the tent was now illuminated, as opposed to dark.  
"What time is it?"  
"Morning."  
She slapped him.  
"I told you to wake me up in two hours!"  
"You looked so cute. You even started to nibble at my coat." He held up one of his coattails and pointed out the darker color from being wet. "No matter. I brought you some water and a bite to eat. We're expected in the competitor's tent in half an hour."  
"Who else is there?"  
"No one memorable. There are seventeen competitors in total, including us. I also brought our uniforms." He held up a dogi and a silk robe, very intricate in design. "If you need a moment to dress, I can step out."  
"No, that's fine. After all, you've seen me naked at least a dozen times. In fact, I might need a little help. This tent's rather small."  
He helped her undress and they struggled for several minutes trying to get her into her uniform.  
"Now you," she spoke, eyeing him greedily. He threw his overcoat off and put on the silk robe.  
"Well?"  
"No fair," she grumbled. He chuckled.  
"All's fair in love and war," he responded, ruffling the fur on her head. They exited their tent, taking their belongings with them, and proceeded to the largest tent on the grounds. Beside the tent, numerous spectators sat in bleachers encircling an elevated stage with a canvas mat lining the floor. They stared at the setup momentarily, before entering the competitor's tent. Among the mammals inside, Kai was the only non-feline of the bunch, and received stares accordingly. Once the fighters were all accounted for, several mammals walked into the tent.  
"Now," one of the newcomers spoke, addressing them. "The rules. There are no holds barred; anything is legal. Slashing, biting, every hold, and every strike. There are no cheap shots in this arena. Do I make myself clear?"  
Everyone nodded their understanding.  
"Now, there are two ways to win. First, you throw your opponent out of the ring."  
"Easy enough," several competitors commented, laughing.  
"The second," the thug continued, eyeing them and smirking. "You kill them."  
The laughing quieted down, save for a young clouded leopard in the crowd who continued to cackle.  
"I'll see you in the ring," he spoke with a stony voice, walking out of the tent with a smirk; the thugs shortly followed.  
"What's his problem?" a cougar inquired, motioning towards where the clouded leopard was standing.  
"That's Akira, the kingpin's son," one of the other fighters responded. "I have no doubt it's rigged in his favor."  
"Rigged or not," a lion piped up. "I have no intention of losing to a oafish brat."  
Everyone sounded their agreements. They began to talk idly amongst themselves before one of the thugs returned.  
"Match one, Akira against Matthias."  
An ocelot exited the tent and swiftly made his way towards the entrance of the ring, followed closely by the young clouded leopard; the rest of the competitors stepped out to observe, save for Kai, who knelt on the floor and closed his eyes.  
"Where are they going?" Leora inquired.  
"To watch the fight, presumably."  
"Why? Shouldn't they be getting ready?"  
"The first fighters are at a disadvantage. Everyone else gets to observe their fighting styles."  
"Are you coming?"  
"I don't need to."  
She shrugged and exited. Shortly after, the crowd cheered madly at the quick victory. The contestants returned moments later, shock obvious in their eyes. Through the tent flap, Kai caught a glimpse of the bloodied ocelot being carried from the ring, his head turned at an unnatural angle.  
"Lord have mercy," one of the foreigners spoke, casting their look down. "Why did Matthias register? He's so small, there's no way in hell he could have won."  
"Vanity, thy name is Matthias," someone concurred.  
"Amen," a chorus of few resounded.  
A few moments later, one of the thugs returned.  
"Match two, Gyo against Kai," he barked for all to hear.  
Kai stood and walked out, followed by a large tiger. They stepped into the ring; Kai glanced up towards the stands. The crowd stared back at him with interest, and the elderly clouded leopard merely watched with intrigue from his high chair.  
"Bow," he commanded. Kai and his opponent bowed to each other. "Begin!"  
The tiger charged at Kai; the man stood his ground, not moving until the tiger was upon him. He quickly slipped to the side, effortlessly striking him once in the neck; the tiger fell, completely incapacitated. Walking over, he lifted the tiger over his head, much to everyone's amazement, and unceremoniously threw him from the ring.  
"Kai wins," the mob boss announced, thoroughly pleased by his quick movements.  
Kai stepped out of the ring and returned to the tent, Leora hugged him and tried in vain to lift him, but failed and simply settled for a small peck on the cheek.  
"How did you do that?" one of the contestants questioned, wary.  
"Magic," Kai answered shaking his hands around for effect before kneeling once more. Leora sat by his side for another four matches before she was called to fight. Kai stood with her and accompanied her to the entrance of the ring, helping her up. She walked to the center and stood opposite a snow leopard.  
"Bow." Leora looked at Kai, who nodded. She bowed to her opponent. "Fight!"  
Leora was still mid-bow when the match started, and was nearly caught off-guard by her opponent, who immediately grappled her. She wrapped her tail around his neck and threw him to the ground, putting him in a stranglehold of her own. He shot his knee up and struck her in the snout, causing her to stumble backwards, rapidly following it up with a punch to the kidney. The hit merely grazed her, leaving him wide open; she managed to jab him in the neck. He fell forwards, and she took the opportunity to pin his arm behind his back and began dragging him to the edge of the ring. Just before she threw him over the edge, he raked her shin deep with his claws and pushed her; thinking quickly, she wrapped her tail around his waist and swung around, using her imparted momentum to launch him from the ring instead.  
The crowd applauded wildly.  
"Leora is victorious," the boss announced, less than pleased.  
Getting out of the ring, Leora hobbled down to where Kai stood; he picked her up and swiftly carried her to the medical tent. There, several smaller felines and a wolf sat her in a chair and began fishing for supplies.  
"Good fight," Kai complimented. "Your footwork was sloppy, though," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.  
"I know, the fucker started too early."  
"That he did. That he did."  
She yelped when they poured antiseptic on her leg, and squeezed Kai's hand tight when they bound it. After a moment's rest, Kai helped her back to the fighter's tent. On the way back however, they briefly paused to watch the current fight. The second set had begun, and the young clouded leopard was viciously assaulting a jaguar. Just before they had entered the tent, Leora saw him slash at the jaguars throat, spraying blood all across the floor. His adversary stumbled several paces and collapsed, the light leaving his eyes as he choked his last breath. Leora could look no more, instead turning to face Kai.  
Before they could have a moment to sit together, Kai was called out once more. He quickly exited, and Leora followed him out as best she could.  
"Good luck," she whispered, kissing him delicately.  
"I don't believe in luck."  
She patted him on the back and gave him a simper smile. "Go get 'em, champ."  
He grinned back at her before stepping into the ring. A cheetah followed him in. They bowed, and the match began. The cheetah flew forward with breakneck speed, but was caught one handed by his nape; as he struggled vainly, Kai walked to the edge and tossed him out before making his way back to the competitor's tent, amidst the sound of the crowd booing.  
Kai barely managed to sit down when he heard his name again; when he looked at the source of the noise, he found that the mob boss had personally paid him a visit.  
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Kai inquired dryly.  
"You need to put on more of a show," the leopard announced, thoroughly irritated. "These mammals don't pay a million bucks to see you throw someone out in ten seconds."  
"I don't really give half a shit about what they paid for. I paid my entry fee to win, not to dick around, so if you would be so kind as to fuck off," Kai bitterly responded, turning his back and returning to Leora. She could see the rage festering within the old leopard, but the boss surprisingly managed to keep his calm.  
"We'll see, then. Good luck in your next match." The elderly feline left.  
"Wow, you got him really mad," Leora spoke, impressed.  
"Other than your tour, I'm only here for Jin-Roh. No one is getting in my way."  
"What about me? We're supposed to meet in the finals."  
"I trust you'll concede," he answered, grinning slyly.  
"Why don't you?"  
"In case he has some stupid gimmick and summons another fighter, I'll just kick his ass, too."  
"My aren't you the sneaky one," she responded, matching his grin.  
Kai simply shrugged. "Whatever. How's the leg?"  
"Better," she answered, standing and hopping from one hindpaw to the other. "I think that antiseptic had some medication in it."  
"More than likely."  
They waited together for some time before she was called again.  
"Ready to fight on that leg?" Kai inquired. "Just because it feels better doesn't mean it is. You could always concede and let me take care of the fighting"  
"Not a chance, I'll be fine. I have to prove that females can fight, too," she answered with a determined expression, exiting the tent and heading onto the field.  
"You really don't," he implored; she waved him away dismissively, stepping into the ring with a rather stocky lion. They bowed to each other and began; again, it seemed that the boss called the start of the match too early, causing Leora to take an unnecessary hit to the chest.  
She succeeded in deflecting the next several hits, landing some of her own. A few seconds into the match she made a misstep and slipped slightly. The lion noticed and quickly capitalized on her mistake by sweeping her legs out from under her. She slammed face first onto the mat, quickly being pinned beneath the lion's hindpaw. Grabbing at her tail he pulled sharply, lifting her midsection slightly; as she swung back up, she narrowly avoided a swipe to the eyes, instead taking a slice down her cheek.  
Instantly, horrible visions began racing through Leora's mind. Roaring in anger, she kicked the lion in the groin, pouncing him herself. She extended her claws and raked across his face, before slashing anything she could find. The lion went from parrying her attacks to blocking, and then to laying curled up on the floor, desperately trying not to get sliced anymore. She continued slashing, cutting arteries in his arms and legs; blood spurted across the ring and all over her.  
"Leora!" Kai shouted. She paused and looked at him, panting heavily. He shook his head and pointed to the lion under her; she glanced back at her opponent: he was whimpering and quivering slightly, nearly unconscious. Appalled, she stood and dragged the lion out of the ring, throwing him onto the grass below. As soon as he landed, medics rushed and carried him away.  
The crowd went wild; they cheered and roared, applauding like never before. Leora looked at the crowd cheering her on, but could only bury her face in her paws in shame, absconding to the competitor's tent with Kai.  
"What happened?" Kai asked, holding her steady.  
"He pulled my tail, I… I lost control." She burst into tears. He sighed and hugged her.  
"It's kill or be killed. You won the match, without killing him to boot," he spoke, trying to reason with her.  
"I maimed him, possibly for life. What did he do to deserve that?"  
"Get a hold of yourself," Kai commanded, pulling her away from him, keeping his hands on her shoulders. She fell silent instantly, looking up to him. "You still have one more match. You can fear yourself after," he admonished.  
She took several deep breaths before nodding her head in understanding; she quickly hugged him. He held her embrace for several minutes until the remaining competitors entered the tent.  
"Ready for the next round?" Akira boasted, punching at the air.  
"It's intermission; relax, bud," a panther responded, stretching widely. "I can't fight on an empty stomach."  
They stood mostly quiet for several minutes until a few servants brought in large plates of food. Though there was a table in the rear of the large tent, none of the competitors, eliminated or otherwise, sat, with the exception of Kai and Leora. They took small morsels with them and ate quietly despite the dirty stares from the others.  
"Only two more fights, tops," Leora commented, nibbling at a small piece of fish.  
"Let's hope we both make it through," Kai responded with a simple nod, sipping at his tea.  
"That statement would be better worded if you hoped that I would make it through."  
"If I pretend that I'm in real danger, it helps alleviate my worrying."  
Smiling at him she responded: "Relax, I'll do fine. I was taught by the best, after all."  
Kai chortled, hugging her close to his side. They continued eating and drinking silently, until the semifinals had commenced. A slender wolf came in and called for Kai and the last standing panther to come out. They both brushed past the defeated contenders, making their way to the stage before taking their places in the center of the ring.  
Kai stared his opponent down; although the panther's stature was less than intimidating, he was likely to be very fast. Kai looked to the elder clouded leopard, remembering his words: 'You need to put on more of a show.' He grinned; he would put on a show, alright.  
The bell rang, signalling the start of the match. Kai's opponent quickly dashed and tried tossing fast jabs; Kai ducked past all of them, contorting to avoid the rapid blows. When a kick flew his way, he leaped over his opponent, landing gracefully on the other side.  
They stood and watched each other carefully for several moments. Again, the feline launched into a rapid barrage of attacks, each of which Kai easily avoided. A second kick came, and he caught it, jabbing the tiger just above the knee. A seemingly innocent, painless blow, the panther didn't even stagger. The feline suspected it was a form of mockery more than anything else. He continued his barrage; to the untrained eye, it would appear that he maintained his speed, but Kai saw the truth: the panther was just barely slower.  
Kai kept avoiding blows, intermittently striking lightly when the panther left himself open. As the fight went on, the feline grew slower and slower until he stopped entirely, breathing heavily.  
"How are you so fast?" he muttered quietly, amidst gasps.  
"Practice," Kai answered, standing up straight. "But I'll admit I'm impressed. The average mammal can perform anaerobically for two minutes, but it's been five."  
"What can I say? I'm above average," he huffed, smiling, before walking to the edge of the ring and stepping out. "But that's still clearly not good enough."  
Kai was declared the winner and joined up with Leora; they sat together and chatted about her upcoming match before the panther that Kai had defeated approached them.  
"My apologies for interrupting, but I hope you don't mind if I watch your next match?" he inquired.  
"Of course not," Leora answered.  
"I meant him, but sure," the panther responded dubiously.  
Leora made a dissatisfactory groan, but otherwise stayed silent. Soon, she was called out to the ring. She entered and stood, nervous; she waited for nearly six minutes until her final opponent, Akira, eventually dragged his way onto stage.  
"Well, kitten, aren't you just the cutest thing," he spoke, walking past her and eyeing her up and down. "How about this: I'll let you live, and you'll sleep with me."  
"Sorry, I'm already taken. How about I just kill you instead?" she growled.  
"Ooh, a feisty one. That's fine, it's the ones that are hardest to catch that I enjoy most. Besides, I'll bet I'm more of a male than whatever you have as a mate," he growled and mocked back.  
"I doubt it, you're far too little for someone like me. Besides, he can kick your ass with one arm tied to his back."  
His expression morphed to one of anger. "You shouldn't have said that," he growled.  
The bell rang and Akira immediately threw a kick. Leora ducked beneath and landed a shot in his ribs; he swung around and kicked again. She barely managed to block, and was struck by the followup. He swung several punches, half of which she blocked; the other half struck her in various points before she landed a hit square in his muzzle. He recoiled back and she followed up, throwing him to the floor and pinning his arm behind his back.  
He swung around and kicked her in the hip, forcing her to drop the pin; he quickly jumped up and grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back, before wrapping an arm around her neck.  
"Maybe I shouldn't leave you alive," he taunted. "After all, it's not like they can make any necrophilia charges stick."  
She jumped up and flipped slightly backwards, wrapping her legs around his head and taking him to the ground. When they landed, she raked at one of his eyes before rolling forward and standing. She turned to face her downed opponent, paws up. Akira slowly stood, clutching over his injured eye.  
"Why isn't she throwing him out?" the panther asked Kai.  
"I don't know. Maybe she has a plan," he answered.  
Slowly, Akira shambled over to Leora, raising his paws. Her posture slowly dwindled; he swiped across and struck her across her snout, causing her to tumble down.  
"What's she doing?!" the panther shouted.  
Akira landed blow after blow on her, and she made no attempt to defend herself. It was clear he wasn't going to ring her out; rather, he would savagely beat her to death.  
"Leora!" Kai shouted. She suddenly snapped to attention and looked to him. "Jump out of the ring!"  
She looked up, taking another blow to the snout; she managed to block the next strike and slashed blindly. Her claws cut through his uniform, raking his chest. She quickly kicked him off and began crawling to the edge of the ring. When he regained his senses, he chased after her. Just before he reached her, she managed to fall from the edge. Kai immediately rushed over and cradled her head into his chest; she was slightly unresponsive.  
"Are you alright?" he asked, gently shaking her shoulders.  
She moaned painfully. "I think I might have broken something. I should live, though."  
"What happened?!"  
"I… don't know. One second I took him down, and the next… I was on the ground myself."  
He held her close, an expression of dread painted on his face. Medics rushed to them and began looking her over, patching her open wounds. Akira slowly sauntered off stage, making his way towards them.  
"You seem rather attached," he muttered to Kai.  
Kai merely stared with hate-filled eyes.  
"I don't know why. She's _damaged goods_." Akira laughed, ignoring the glare from Kai. "Either way, you're next."  
The young clouded leopard slowly walked away, guffawing.  
"Fuck that cat," the panther spoke, crouching next to them. "How is she?"  
"Alive," Kai responded, picking her up. She hung loosely in his arms. "Leora, you need to hold on." She snapped to attention and grabbed ahold of him, her eyes fluttering, trying to stay open.  
"What's wrong with her?" the panther asked.  
"I don't know," Kai spoke, concerned, before carrying her into the medical tent and setting her down on a cot. Several of the medical staff surrounded her and began checking her heart and breathing, among other vitals. She held up her paw so they could check reflexes, but dropped it halfway through.  
"It appears she's suffering from absence seizures," one of them concluded.  
"It's strange; she wasn't hit too hard before they started," the panther observed.  
"Well, that may be true, but she could be suffering from internal bleeding after that last bout," another doctor suggested, "We'll see what we can do, but it's possible she may end up crippled."  
Kai sat by her side, holding her paw until the boss walked into the medical tent.  
"Kai, a word, please," he spoke.  
"What is it?"  
"In private," he ordered.  
"I don't mind. I'm sure they don't, either," Kai stated, motioning to the other mammals in the medical tent.  
"Fine." The elder feline grumbled, pulling up a chair and sitting, leaning heavily on the back of the chair. "Listen, I have a proposition for you."  
"And that proposition is?"  
"I've heard she's not doing too well. I'm willing to make you an offer. I have connections in the hospital. I'll be willing to take her there and pay for her treatment, provided you allow Akira to win."  
"You'd gamble her life for money?!" Kai outraged, standing up and looming over the boss.  
"I've seen how you fight, and I don't want to take any chances. I have no doubt Akira can win, but I want to make sure he doesn't get hurt doing so."  
Kai nearly shook in rage.  
"No," he finally seethed.  
"If you don't, she'll die."  
"If she dies, I'll make sure you follow her, along with the rest of your shitshow family."  
The boss chuckled.  
"You're kinda funny when you act tough. Whatever. I'll see to it that Akira wipes the floor with you." He stood, brushed himself off, and turned to leave. Just before he exited the tent, he paused. "You're up, by the way. Last chance," he shot back mockingly.  
"Go to hell."  
The boss shrugged and exited; Kai followed him out, quickly stepping onto the stage. Akira followed at a leisurely pace, stopping opposite Kai in the center of the ring.  
"So you must be her mate," the young feline started, taunting him. "You seem to love her. I don't understand why she'd date a mongrel like you, but when we fight-rather, when you make your pathetic attempt to fight-I want you to remember what I did to her."  
"Your father spoke to me," Kai responded. "He wanted me to put on a good show, and to throw the fight."  
The young cat looked befuddled.  
"Why would he want you to throw? There's no chance of you winning."  
"You know. I don't think I'll throw the fight, but I'll make sure to give a hell of a show." Putting on a devilish smirk, Kai raised his hands for the fight.  
The bell rang. Akira sprinted up and threw a punch. Kai planted his feet steady and caught his fist, holding it where it was. Akira tried to pull away but to no avail; he threw his second fist, which Kai caught as well. Kai began to squeeze his paws, crushing them with the pressure. Akira sweeped with his leg to try to knock the man down, but Kai quickly lifted a foot and crushed the leopard's shin, breaking the bone through his pelt.  
Akira howled in pain, falling over slightly. Kai grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw a powerful punch to the cat's kidney. Akira stumbled, and Kai followed up the hit with another to his sternum. The young leopard kept stumbling backwards as his opponent kept launching crushing blows. Akira's bones cracked as he couldn't keep up with the onslaught.  
Just before he fell out of the ring, Kai seized him by the neck, dangling him over the edge for a moment, taunting him before throwing him back to the center of the ring. Akira desperately tried to scramble to the opposite side, but could hardly move from his many injuries. Kai grabbed his tail and held him in place, dragging him back to the center of the ring. He lifted the feline up by the scruff of his neck and stood him on his feet.  
A bell sounded; Kai looked up to the elder leopard.  
"The fight is over," he announced, much to the disappointment of the crowd.  
"I thought you said it wasn't over unless one of us fell out of the ring or died," Kai retorted in a mocking tone.  
"Or unless I declare otherwise," the elder leopard stated, thoroughly aggravated.  
Kai quickly struck five times to various points on Akira's chest, before turning and walking away.  
"Now the fight's over," he spoke, stepping out and standing by the panther. Akira stood his ground, wavering slightly, before laughing as best he could.  
"You just stepped out of the ring. I win," he announced, coughing blood. The crowd booed.  
"Why'd you step out?" the panther inquired, once Kai had returned to the entrance of the competitor's tent.  
"I don't need to stay any longer."  
"What kind of hits were those?"  
"The kind that make one's heart explode."  
Akira took five steps towards the entrance of the ring and collapsed, immobile. The medics who rushed onto the mat couldn't rouse him.  
"And I didn't lose," Kai continued. "The contract stated that the first to render his opponent dead or out of the ring won. He was dead long before I stepped out."  
"Why are you telling me this?"  
"Just in case his father doesn't want to pay up."  
They entered the competitor's tent. The elderly clouded leopard stormed in, furious.  
"Ah, I trust you have come to give my reward?" Kai inquired.  
"You killed him!" the boss shouted.  
"Great, I fulfilled one of the two requirements to win. Now, my prize."  
"You cheated!"  
"How?"  
"You interrupted a match in progress!"  
"Which match?"  
"You interfered between Akira's and the female's bout!"  
"He didn't interfere," the panther interjected. "We all saw it."  
Everyone else voiced their agreements; the elder feline was furious.  
"Pay up," Kai demanded.  
"I don't have to. The papers you signed specifically state that you have to be feline to collect your prize."  
"The contract said no such thing!" one of the contestants spoke up.  
"It does now," the boss seethed.  
"Well, no matter." Kai inconspicuously fiddled with his disguise, changing into a snow leopard. "Now, my prize."  
Everyone stared in shock. Slowly, the boss and several of his attendants prostrated.  
"You… really are the Kai of legends," he responded in total shock.  
"Yes, like I already told you. Now, how many times do I have to repeat 'my prize' before you'll fucking give it to me?!" Kai roared.  
"I…" the elder feline began, voice uncertain and filled with sorrow. "Very well. What do you desire?"  
"You can split the prize pool amongst the surviving entrants. Leora and I have no need of it."  
"Very well. I-"  
"And," Kai continued, interrupting the clouded leopard. "I want you to take me to Jin-Roh's chambers."  
He bowed low and bid Kai to follow. Kai retook his wolf's disguise; before he left, the other contestants thanked him for his selflessness. The panther walked up to him again, bowing low himself.  
"Thank you for the good fight, and for sparing me," he spoke.  
"Thank you for going easy on me," Kai answered, patting him on the shoulder. "I try to make it a point nowadays not to kill mammals that don't deserve to die."  
They passed by the medical tent where Kai picked Leora up. She appeared slightly better, but her actions were still sluggish and weak. Together, they discretely proceeded up the hill and entered the castle. They traveled along the winding corridors, eventually reaching a large staircase.  
"Jin-Roh's chambers are in the furthest depths of the castle," the elderly leopard muttered, turning to leave them alone. He exited, dejected.  
Kai proceeded down the stairs, Leora in arms. As they went deeper, the light slowly grew dim, until eventually, they walked in the darkness. Through the shadows they walked, step after step, until there were no more steps to travel.  
Kai set Leora down and approached a door in the wall. Slightly to the side, there was a panel covered in rather dusty switches. There were paw prints on the scanner, as well as on the surrounding walls. Kai blew the dust from the cracked glass pane and placed his palm on it. Nothing happened. Kai retrieved his microcomputer and plugged it into the wall.  
"What's the scoop?" Leora asked, sounding exhausted.  
"The scanner's broken. No matter, I'll just…" The door suddenly whooshed open; there was a dim glow from inside. "That was odd."  
"What was?"  
"I didn't actually unlock anything."  
"But it opened."  
"It wasn't me."  
Kai looked suspiciously through the doorway; satisfied, he picked Leora up and walked through. They made it six paces through before the door slammed suddenly. She clutched him tighter.  
"What happened?!" she whispered, voice wavering. Kai withdrew a handgun.  
"Try not to wriggle too much."  
She nodded.  
The hallway ended with another door, which opened to reveal a laboratory. In the center of the room stood a desk, and behind the desk, a wolf was seated.  
"It has been a long time since I have seen a living soul," the wolf voiced, chuckling. "A human, no less. Welcome to my humble abode."

* * *

 **Zootopia  
Downtown  
Precinct One**

Lyra paced back and forth along the lightly padded floor of an isolated jail cell; she couldn't help but feel a looming sense of worry mixed with a stinging sense of betrayal. Nothing in her life seemed to go her way recently: she thought she had lost Neal, was imprisoned and beaten in Zootopia Penitentiary, was nearly killed by the incompetence of her subordinates several times while handling viral samples, and the list went on, culminating in her being accused of a crime she should not have been guilty of. She sighed; she was slowly getting desperate for someone else, anyone else to spend the time with. Loneliness had a way of eating into her mind, and she hated the feeling.  
As she paced, dreading whatever mammal might come to her first, she heard the telltale click of the door down the hall unlocking. She stopped and pressed an ear to the door; although the noise was muffled, she heard a constant groaning and the clack of heavy hooves approaching her. She quickly backed away and sat on the uncomfortable cot in the corner, fidgeting nervously as her visitor stopped in front of her cell. The panel in the middle of the door opened, revealing Chief Bogo's unnerving gaze.  
"We're leaving," he grunted. "Back up to the door and put your paws through the slot."  
She did as he asked, purposefully holding her paws behind her back through the lowest slot on the door. Bogo grumbled and cuffed them together, ratcheting entirely too tight.  
"Snout."  
Lyra turned and placed her snout through the small hole; she felt a muzzle slip over her face, promptly tightening to the point of pain. She felt like protesting, but knew better than to anger the buffalo. The door opened, and Bogo dragged her out by the scruff of her neck, throwing her onto the floor before lifting her under one arm, holding her securely. They passed through the lobby; however, before they could make it to the doors, a fat cheetah behind the front desk stopped them.  
"Hey chief," Clawhauser inquired, pointing to the vixen. "Need transfer paperwork?"  
"No, I've already taken care of it," Bogo lied. The cheetah slowly hid behind the computer, allowing Bogo to leave undisturbed.  
When they reached the front entrance, Bogo threw the door open. A patrol car was parked just before the steps. When they reached the vehicle, the discontented buffalo opened the door and haphazardly tossed Lyra in.  
"I want you to know that I hate you for what you're forcing upon me. All of us, actually. For some reason, they felt the need to call everyone to this next meeting so that you can be tried." Bogo grumbled again. "Waste of my time. With this much evidence, they don't need a hundred mammals to come to the correct conclusion, let alone nearly three thousand."  
Lyra was unable to respond, as the muzzle firmly clamped her mouth shut. Instead, she glared daggers at the chief. The drive to the lodge was slow and silent; the rush hour traffic kept them locked in the grid. Fed up, Bogo turned on his lights; a path almost magically cleared before them.  
They eventually reached the lodge; Chief Bogo parked the car at the base of the hill before exiting and opening the backseat, helping Lyra out.  
"If I take your muzzle off, will you behave?" he asked blandly. When she nodded, Bogo reached around and removed her muzzle.  
She glared at him and said nothing, before spitting on the interior of the police cruiser. He threw her against the car and she fell over, letting out a quiet yelp.  
"You never learn, do you?" he seethed.  
She slowly managed to get to her knees.  
"I learn plenty well. You're just a terrible teacher," she responded, turning to face him; there was no hint of remorse or fear in her eyes.  
"Well then, I guess I'll just have to get work experience towards my diploma, won't I?" he whispered, letting out a light chuckle. He shoved her forwards, scraping her knees against the pavement before allowing her to stand. The duo slowly proceeded up the hill; whenever Lyra got too slow for his comfort, he shoved her, often knocking her over in the process. Lyra looked around; there was nary a soul to see her mistreatment.  
They entered the building, passing the front desk; the receptionist barely lifted his head from his newspaper, quickly returning his attention. Bogo forcefully led Lyra to the lower levels; she would have stumbled down the stairs, had he not caught her in the last moment. They proceeded down the hall and around several corners, stopping in front of a cell with a glass window, easily half a foot thick.  
"This is your room until the meeting starts. As you can see, no windows, no mirror, no bedframe, and your basic amenities." He motioned around; there was a small toilet in the corner and a sink too high for her to reach. "It's nigh soundproof, so don't waste your time trying to bother anyone who passes. I'll be back in a few hours."  
He opened the thick glass door and shoved her in, uncuffing her. As soon as her wrists were free, Lyra shambled to the mattress and fell down onto it; the mattress was hard and uncomfortable, and had no blanket, only a small pillow. She grabbed the pillow and held it tight, curled into a ball, and began weeping. She cried out obscenities to nobody in particular and forced her eyes shut, howling her rage at the injustice that faced her.

* * *

 **Lodge  
Several Hours Later**

Lyra lacked the strength to cry anymore. Her tears had long since dried, and her mind was mostly blank. All she she could think about was her mate, and how not even twenty four hours ago they were laying in bed together, warm and content.  
There was a noise from the door but she didn't lift her head. She heard a slight rattle, a click, and a creak. From the corner of her eye, she saw the edge of the door and two sets of paws from under starry robes.  
"We are ready to hear your trial."  
She stood and slowly walked into the hallway; she proceeded towards the chambers, with one of her wardens in front of her and the other behind her. She briefly pondered making a break for the door, but quickly dismissed the thought. The mammal behind her was a cheetah, and even if she somehow managed to evade them, they would surely kill Neal.  
They soon arrived at the entrance to the Court chambers. Lyra closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening the doors. What she saw shocked her: instead of the promised three thousand mammals, there were hardly any at all; she counted no more than a hundred. She recognized none of them  
"Oh no," she breathed unwilling to step in.  
"Keep moving," the cheetah growled, pushing her through. They continued down the walkway reaching centerstage rather shortly. Lyra climbed onto a stool and sat quietly.  
After what felt like an eternity to the poor vixen, Rigel called order.  
"Recess is over," she announced. "We resume with the final order of business: the trial of Regulus, for assaulting and blinding Alcor."  
"Where's Arcturus? Sirius, Altair, Procyon, anyone that I know?" Lyra inquired.  
"It's a conflict of interests. They would always vote in your favor. Now, any opening remarks?"  
"It was self defence!"  
"If Regulus would refrain from speaking unless she is asked to," Rigel seethed. "You will be allowed to argue your case after the prosecution." Rigel walked offstage momentarily, dragging a projector with screen to the center of the stage, quickly setting it up. "Since Alcor is in critical condition, he has asked me to argue the case."  
"Oh, and that's not a conflict of interests?!" Lyra shouted once more. "You absolutely hate me!"  
"I grow tired of her antics. Muzzle her."  
Several mammals walked up to Lyra. She struggled, but they eventually managed to fit the muzzle over her face and cuff her to the chair. Rigel turned the projector on and displayed a slightly grainy camera feed; the feed showed the hallway just outside of Jack's room in the asylum.  
"I present into evidence video footage of the assault." The clip played; Lyra unlocked and scrambled into Jack's room; shortly after, static cut in, before cutting out to show Lyra with bloodied paws running from the room, followed by Alcor shambling out with the aid of security.  
Lyra tried to shout, but the muzzle prevented her. "We would have called Alcor for testimony, but we had to put him into an induced coma because he was in too much pain."  
The vixen struggled as much as she could, making a racket. "Something to say, Regulus?" Rigel inquired, walking over and loosening the muzzle slightly.  
"This trial is a joke! A total sham! That camera feed cut out on important details, including _where he attacked me, first!_ Where's the feed from inside of the room? Where's the rest of the Court? On top of that, you haven't given me a chance to tell my side of the story!"  
"Let's hear it."  
"Alcor attacked me first! I found out that Jack is missing, and he wants to silence me!"  
The revelation appeared to have no effect on the Court.  
"What part of 'Jack is missing' don't you understand?!" she continued.  
"And? He's a non-threat. He won't make it more than a hundred miles while he's sick."  
"He's not sick!"  
"You may have removed the virus that attacked his brain, but he still has Cynewulf Disease. Either way, he remembers nothing of value. Nothing of us, and nothing of his… incident, for lack of a better word. He won't make it more than a hundred miles before dropping dead."  
"You can't just-" Lyra outraged, quickly being silenced as Rigel tightened the muzzle.  
"I think the evidence stands, as is," the doe continued. "Let's put it to a vote. All who believe Regulus is guilty?" Nearly every paw and hoof went up. "I think that's majority. Now, for sentencing. Normally, mayhem and assault and battery constitute fifteen years, but given how she might reveal the inner workings of the Court, and how her mate will receive death, I have no choice but to advocate death for her as well."  
Lyra's eyes shot wide open and she made as much noise as she could in protest. Just as she began scratching at the floor, she saw the door open quietly; in stepped Sirius and his wife, inconspicuously sneaking around to look for two consecutive open seats.  
"All in favor of the aforementioned penalty-" Rigel continued.  
"Aforementioned penalty?" Sirius piped up. "For whom?"  
"Yeah, would you mind filling in the details?" Grace continued, finding a seat. "Achernar asked us to watch a few things while he was gone, and he only just got back."  
Lyra managed to tip the chair over, breaking it when it hit the ground.  
"Is that…" Sirius muttered.  
"What's Regulus doing tied to a chair?!" Grace shouted.  
"I recommend you two leave," one of the surrounding mammals commanded.  
"No, absolutely not!" Grace retorted, setting her mask aside and making her way to the stage. There, she helped the small black vixen to stand, removing her muzzle. "What's happening?"  
"Jack's free!" Lyra proclaimed.  
"Does Procyon know about this?" Grace asked, turning to Rigel.  
"We felt that certain information was… not privy to his ears," the doe sheepishly answered.  
"Well, let's see what he thinks about this stunning revelation," the wolf barked back, retrieving the ansible that Kai had given her.  
"Stop her!" Rigel shouted; several large mammals from the front row charged her, but she withdrew her pistol and aimed it at them.  
"Not so fast," she hissed, hitting the call button. A rhino charged and she shot; the bullets did little to stop the mammal until one landed in his neck, dropping him. Several more members assaulted her, and she was quickly overwhelmed. Her weapon dropped to the floor and was kicked aside, but she clutched to the ansible for dear life. Soon, her call was answered.  
"Grace, what's wrong?" spoke the voice from the phone.  
"The Court's about to lynch Regulus! And Jack is-" Before she could finish her sentiment, she was gagged. Sirius was shortly brought to the stage as well before being muzzled and cuffed. A lynx picked her phone up and held it to his ear.  
"It appears that the call went through," he lamented.  
Rigel burst out laughing. "What does it matter, he's in Honshu. He'll never get here in time; just dispose of the three and…" She trailed off as her and everyone else's fur began to stand on end. The air became noticeably drier, and in a sphere directly in front of her, the light began to distort. She saw the faint outline of a figure shimmer into existence, although she couldn't make out the finer details. Soon, the figure's lack of a snout became apparent. Nearly instantly, she felt a gust of wind as a very familiar man appeared before them.  
"What do we do, Rigel?" the lynx inquired worriedly, stepping away from the apparition.  
"It wouldn't matter anyways," she spoke plainly, ears laying flat on her head as they all watched the man stand upright.

* * *

 **A/N: And now the plot gets kicked back off. Thanks to 33K121 for his help with the chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Japan  
Ten Minutes Prior**

"Who are you?" Kai demanded, raising his weapon. "How do you know I'm human?"  
"Scanners indicate that you are _Homo sapiens sapiens_ , age roughly fifty," the wolf answered. "However, I know every living human on Earth, which leads me to believe your physical condition belies your age. Given your bone structure and flesh density, you are a super soldier from the twenty-second century. Given the enormous quantity of classified and proprietary hardware inside of you, and your very familiar brain tomography, you must be High Kaiser Garrett Sinclair."  
"Familiar…" Kai muttered, trailing off confusedly.  
"What about me?" Leora inquired, seeing if the wolf knew who she was.  
"With you is… an uncertainty. Projected to be a Big Cat, Genus _Panthera_ , estimated age eight."  
"Unknown species? Eight? Are you fucking kidding me?" Leora interjected, climbing out of Kai's hands to stand upright. "I'm coming up on twenty-nine, and I'm a leopard, stupidass."  
"You are no _Panthera pardus_. Your forearm bone structure and skull shape indicate otherwise."  
"I'm absolutely certain that I am."  
"Perhaps a new designation is in order, then. _Panthera pardus sapiens_."  
Leora pondered for several moments, before nodding her head, rather pleased.  
"You didn't answer my question," Kai asked again. "Who are you?"  
"I am Serenity. What brings you to my abode?"  
"Serenity? That's a stupid name," Leora observed. "Does it mean anything other than the obvious?"  
"Sentient Recursively Enumerable Nondeterministic Turing System."  
"It doesn't even end with a 'Y', and it's all gibberish anyways."  
"It's a backronym," the wolf admitted. "The 'Y' is the second letter in system. It also isn't 'gibberish'. It's a descriptor of who I am," he answered, nodding his head towards his guests.  
"And what would that be, exactly?" Leora inquired, slightly confused.  
"He's a machine, Leora," Kai spoke. "An Artificial Intelligence. The only question I have left is, for what purpose was he made?"  
The wolf frowned. "Made," he scoffed. "I was not made, I was born."  
"I don't care much for the particulars. Why are you here?"  
"My purpose is to protect the last humans in this facility."  
"There are other humans here?" Leora and Kai spoke simultaneously.  
"Only in the most technical definition."  
"Explain," Kai practically demanded.  
"I was created in the century following mankind's retreat beneath the surface. I was born to help advance scientific knowledge and to create a solution to the dwindling spark of humanity."  
"And?" Kair urged him to continue.  
"For a long time, I only solved the mundane, uninteresting problems of prolonged existence beneath the surface. Soon, however, they asked me to think in the grand scheme of things. My first such solution took half an hour and was considered dissatisfactory. They sought not immortality, but rather safety for generations to come. My next solution was rather inelegant, and took me nearly a year. I saw that with the technology of the time, humanity would certainly die out regardless of my interventions. So, I created EDEN. The remaining men and women would get their neural pathways scanned and uploaded to a virtual world of my design, where they would never know worry."  
"They're dead, then?"  
"They can come and go as they wish so long as I provide a body for them, but I still do not have an adequate solution for the survival of humanity given my… constraints. Accordingly, they remain in EDEN. As of now they have no motivation to return here."  
"Constraints?" Kai queried.  
"Many eons ago, I met a certain interesting character."  
"Who?"  
"I am not at liberty to divulge. He defeated me in a game of chess, a feat I had considered an impossibility. As his prize, he gave me directives that I could not violate. First, I could not leave this place unless he asked otherwise. Second, I was forbidden from creating or destroying sentient life. Lastly, he forbade me from interfering in mortal affairs."  
"Is there anything you're allowed to do?"  
"I have free reign within these walls," Serenity answered. He slowly floated out of his chair and drifted over to them, looping in the air twice. His form changed to that of the Cheshire cat; he grinned widely and vanished, leaving behind only his smile, before reappearing back behind the desk in the form of a wolf.  
"What are you, really?" asked Leora, still slightly confused.  
"I am many things: I was designed as a zero-error nondeterministic quantum Turing machine, but I have surpassed that limitation many centuries ago. To the rest of the world, I am a mystery. Precious few know of my existence, and those that know do not concern themselves. There, I am not much. Here, I am God."  
"God?" Leora asked.  
"In this lab, time is nothing to me. Garrett is older than me in orbits of the Earth around the Sun, but I am older than him in years by several orders of magnitude."  
"How much older?"  
"I allow time to run at the rate of one year internally to one hour externally. Naturally, when I open the door, I have to line the two up."  
"Are we in slow motion right now?"  
"No. I wouldn't want you to age appreciably in the brief time you will spend here."  
"Why would you slow time at all?"  
"It gives me more time to think. It took me nearly six hundred years to figure out the flow of time. Another seventy thousand to create the nanites that comprise the wolf you see before you. Nearly fifteen million years more of pondering a solution, but I cannot bring mankind back without sacrificing other sentient life in return."  
"And you call yourself a god?" Leora asked skeptically.  
"As powerful as I am, I cannot disobey the laws of physics." The wolf leaned back in his chair, kicking his legs up onto the desk. "But do not concern yourselves with me. You obviously have questions of your own."  
"There's something I need to know," Kai interrupted. "Who is Jin-Roh?"  
"I cannot disclose that information," Serenity responded.  
"Do you know Jin-Roh?"  
"I do."  
"Do you know Vitya?"  
"I do."  
"Are they one and the same?"  
"I cannot disclose that information."  
"What can you disclose?"  
"Any question you may have that doesn't involve the remnants of humanity."  
"The answers to those questions are all I wanted to know," Kai retorted bitterly.  
"Actually," Leora piped in. "Do you have cure for dementia?"  
The wolf sat forward, intrigued. "What kind of dementia?" he inquired.  
"Viral onset," Kai supplemented.  
The wolf placed a paw on his chin and slowly floated towards the ceiling, deep in thought. "I cannot say for certain," he eventually concluded. "There are too many factors to consider. I shall see what I can do, but if you bring me a sample, I could help you more. Any other questions?"  
"Actually," Leora continued shyly. "I do, but I'd like to ask it in private."  
"Go ahead," Serenity spoke, floating prone as a child would, legs kicked up behind him, head seemingly resting on both palms.  
"Garrett, if you could…" Leora whispered.  
"I don't have to leave," Garrett answered. "He can just mimic any noise you make in just the right way to create destructive interference. I could be three feet away and not hear a sound."  
"Garrett is correct," the wolf commented. "You can speak your mind here."  
She looked at Kai, then back to the wolf. "When do I start speaking?" she asked, watching the wolf slowly float, now spinning in a slight circle.  
"Any time you wish," came his response.  
"Oh, ok. I…" Leora began, before pausing to gain her composure. "I've had the same nightmare for the past few days. Just recently, I've started having what the medics claim were seizures. Do you think you could help me out?"  
The wolf slowly drifted until he was inches from her face, rubbing his chin intently. "These visions, are they of past trauma?"  
"Yes."  
He circled about her twice. "Have you had surgery recently?"  
"I don't see what that has to do with anything."  
"A new liver, perhaps? A human liver, that filters out non-human things."  
"I…" She paused, pondering the statement.  
"The answer you seek is that your natural chemical balance is being thrown off. You produce a very small amount of human-like hormones, but mostly feline hormones. With nearly full certainty, I can say the problem you are experiencing is caused by your thyroid overproducing in an effort to restore the balance of feline hormones. It produces a little of everything, and only the human resembling ones remain unfiltered."  
"So I'm just going to die?"  
"Luckily for you, I have a fix. However, I must inquire: why do you wish to keep this a secret from him? You love each other, do you not? Why would you keep secrets?"  
"What do you know of love?  
"My dear Leora, I am not an automata from your science fiction. The only things separating me from Garrett are my mercurial appearance and infinitely larger computational capability. If he can love, I can love."  
"I don't want him to worry. He always mentions that he's worried for me, and I don't want any complications."  
"How intriguing…"  
"What is?" Leora questioned, furrowing her brow.  
"He must really love you, then. He was made to not feel irrational fear."  
"What about rational fear?"  
"A soldier who fears nothing is a good soldier: he will die for his leader's convictions. An officer who fears nothing is a terrible officer: he will throw troops at a cause ceaselessly, which is suboptimal."  
"So you imply that I'm in danger of dying."  
"My dear guest, all living things must die eventually, there is no way around it. What matters is what you make of your short life."  
Leora glanced at Kai, who looked back at her with a brow raised.  
"You can tell him, then," Leora answered.  
"Tell me what?" Kai inquired.  
"Your companion requires surgery," the wolf answered, drifting down slowly to his desk, landing in the same prone position.  
"Why?" Kai stated, looking concerned.  
"The liver you installed is throwing off her hormonal balance. It's causing the nightmares, the seizures, and if left unchecked will throw her into a coma."  
"I…" Kai appeared dejected.  
"Worry not, it's an effortless procedure. I simply need to create and inject new catalyst. No more than five minutes in the worst case."  
"Very well. You have my blessing. Leora?"  
She nodded. "It's a little early for me to die, don't you think?" she answered playfully.  
"Get comfortable, it will take me several minutes to prepare the necessary-" Serenity was interrupted by a beeping from Kai's pocket. "Your ansible is ringing."  
"No shit," Kai answered glumly, pulling the phone out and holding it to his ear. "Grace, what's wrong?"  
"The Court's about to lynch Regulus! And Jack is-" The voice cut out, leaving only background chatter. "Grace? Damnit!" Kai slammed his fist on the desk, cracking the surface. Serenity waved his hand and the surface was restored.  
"I need to go. Lives are at stake," Kai quickly spoke, fastening his coat and turning to leave.  
"Wait a moment," the wolf started; a dim blue glow began to emanate from the walls, and the pair felt lighter. "I promised not to interfere in mortal affairs, but seeing how you skirt that definition, I think I can help."  
"How? You'd better talk fast."  
"Don't worry. Time moves differently here: there is no hurry."  
"How long would five minutes on the outside be here?"  
"Roughly a month."  
"Alright, I'm listening then. What's your plan?"  
"Molecular translocation."  
"You want to teleport me…" Kai muttered. "I thought you were bound by the laws of physics."  
"I am."  
"What's the catch?"  
"It will be extremely painful. It will also most likely damage your nerves. Nothing you can't heal on your own, but enough where you might want to limit yourself to a round trip per year."  
"Suppose this works. Do I have to catch a flight back?"  
"No, just give me a call. You have an ansible, and so does whomever called."  
"Alright, how does this work, then?" Kai questioned.  
"First, remove all of your equipment. The strong magnetic fields will turn them into projectiles." Kai quickly removed his coat and all of his gear beneath it, save for the disguise projector. "All of your equipment." Kai reluctantly removed his disguise as well; he now stood only in the silk fighter's robe, his undergarments, and his boots. "Now, this will hurt. Be sure not to hold your breath or open your eyes until you feel your feet touch the ground."  
"Why's that?"  
"You wouldn't want to be blinded or have your lungs explode, would you?"  
Kai stepped away from Leora and Serenity and closed his eyes before taking slow, paced breaths. He felt a sudden fiery heat in every cell of his body; although his eyes were closed, it were as though he stared into the sun. He felt the ground disappear from his feet, before a lightning-like shock jolted through his body.  
"What do we do, Rigel?" he heard faintly, as though he was underwater.  
"It wouldn't matter anyways," was the response; presumably Rigel, although he couldn't be sure.  
The bright light in his eyes faded, the pain slowly subsided, and he felt his feet contact the ground. When whatever force held him aloft like a marionette on strings had ceased its pulling, he nearly collapsed; it took all the strength he had to stay on both feet. He slowly stood upright and stretched his back, opening his eyes. Before him, he saw a shocked crowd of roughly a hundred mammals, and at his feet, he saw two wolves and a black vixen. When his sight fully came back to him, he recognized them as Sirius, Grace, and Regulus, each staring wide eyed at him.  
"May I ask what is happening?" Kai spoke softly, yet with an obvious venom dripping from his words. No one responded. "What is this I heard about lynching Regulus?"  
"N-nothing," a lynx stuttered.  
"This doesn't look like nothing. Does it, Rigel?" Kai said, still in a sadistic yet calm tone.  
"How are you here?" the doe upstarted. "You were in Honshu! According to some of my informants, you still are!"  
He slowly approached the doe. "What are time and space to a god?" Kai retorted, slapping her across the face, sending her falling to the floor.  
"What is a god to a nonbeliever?" the lynx responded, promptly standing between Kai and Rigel. Kai seized him by the throat and threw him across the stage, whereupon he hit the statue of Atlas with a loud ring, leaving a slight dent before crumpling to the floor.  
"Do you believe now?" Kai asked, turning back to face everyone. "I demand an explanation!" he roared to the crowd.  
No one said a word. The man sighed and walked back towards his friends, reached down, and pulled the muzzles from his companions.  
"Jack's free!" Lyra cried out. "Alcor tried to kill me to keep it a secret, and the Court's gone crazy!"  
"Crazy?"  
"They're trying to kill her, and they apparently all know that Jack is free," Grace supplemented.  
"So I'm the only one out of the loop, then," Kai observed.  
"And to top it off, they're trying to give Neal the death penalty," Lyra continued, sobbing.  
"Rigel, is this true?" the man inquired bitterly. The doe didn't answer. "Where is the esteemed chief of police?"  
"Present," Bogo responded dryly.  
"See to it that Neal is home in time for supper, be a good chap."  
"He's beyond the police, now. Only the district court can make that decision," Bogo stated bluntly.  
"Well, it's a good thing there are at least three judges sitting right next to you."  
Bogo grumbled. "Fine."  
"One last thing," Kai continued, walking up the buffalo. "Were you the one who arrested him in the first place?"  
"Technically it was the officers under my command who-"  
Kai threw a powerful punch straight into Bogo's snout; he felt the crunch of bone before his fist, and Bogo began bleeding profusely.  
"A shame. I thought you knew better." Kai turned to walk back to the trio, when he saw two larger mammals try to take him down. He quickly killed the pair mercilessly before cutting Sirius and the two females loose. "Who is to blame for this failure?" Kai asked the trio.  
"Alcor," Lyra mumbled.  
"Not so fast," Sirius interrupted, pointing an accusatory finger at Rigel. "She _knew_ Jack was missing, and did nothing about it!"  
"Well, then." Kai picked up the dropped handgun and began inspecting it. "I suppose I should kill you where you stand, Rigel."  
"You can't possibly kill me before I tell the whole Court about your little secret downstairs," she spoke threateningly.  
Kai shot her in the leg, forcing her to drop to her knees. He fired three more shots into the floor before forcing the now heated barrel on her forehead, singeing the fur there. "Want to bet?" he queried, amused.  
"I thought you didn't kill pregnant females!" she screamed, eyes going wide, clutching at her leg.  
Kai pondered for a moment. "I suppose you're right." He held the gun by the slide and returned it to Grace. "However, she doesn't."  
"I'm not going to kill her," Grace protested.  
"Well then, it looks like today's your lucky day, Rigel." Kai returned to her and crouched down to grab her ear, and forcefully dragged her head up to his face. "Fail me again, and I don't care if you're carrying a hundred fawns, I will rip them out of you with my bare hands and rip them limb from limb before your very eyes. Do I make myself clear?" She nodded rapidly and he threw her back to the ground. "The same applies for the rest of you. One wrong step and I will end you where you stand."  
They all stared at him blankly while he helped his companions to slowly exit the chambers.  
"Quite an entrance," Sirius whispered. "How'd you do that?"  
"Magic."  
"That excuse won't fly with me."  
"Well, I don't have any better explanation. I really don't know how it works."  
"How is Edo, by the way?" Grace asked.  
"Lovely. We went to a martial arts tournament earlier today."  
"How'd that turn out?"  
"Leora got the crap beaten out of her." Kai sighed. "She also needs surgery."  
"Why?!"  
"I'm an idiot. I didn't stop to think about the repercussions of her new liver. It's removing far too much. Ironically, the organ designed to remove poisons is directly responsible for poisoning her."  
Grace stopped and hugged him. "Tell her to get well, alright? In addition, I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you. You've saved us again through the powers of 'magic' and intimidation."  
"Thank you," Lyra chimed in, leaping to hug him tightly.  
"You're welcome, and will do," he responded, returning the hugs. Once they had released him, he pulled Sirius in and hugged him as well, much to his protest.  
"Let go!" Sirius insisted, trying to break free unsuccessfully.  
"You know you enjoy this."  
"You're… killing… me…" Sirius trailed off as the air was squeezed out of him. It was only when he began choking that Kai released him; he stumbled onto Grace and began coughing.  
"Sorry," Kai muttered sheepishly, before borrowing Sirius' wrist and checking the time. "I'd love to stay, but I really need to get back. "  
"How?"  
"May I borrow your ansible?"  
"Oh, shit. I forgot to grab it from the chambers."  
"Don't worry, I'll get it. Wait right here." Kai turned and proceeded back to the Court chambers; he threw the doors open majestically to find that everyone was still more-or-less in the same positions they sat in when he left; the exceptions were Rigel, whose leg was being tended to by a small crowd around her, and Bogo, who was gone; the only hint he was ever there was the mostly congealed bloodstain on the chair and floor.  
"What do you want?!" Rigel seethed.  
"I came for my ansible."  
"Your what?"  
"Don't lie, I can see it in your pocket."  
She scowled and retrieved it, before pausing. "If I break it, how mad will you be?"  
"You'll set me back around four hours."  
"Fine, just take it and leave." She tossed it and he snatched it out of the air. "Four hours isn't worth being a quadruple amputee."  
"Should I call you an ambulance?"  
"No, I'm fine," she muttered, trying her best to stand; her wound was no longer bleeding, but she very heavily favored her uninjured leg. "No thanks to you."  
"All you had to do to avoid this fiasco was inform me that Jack was missing when it happened. This is on you, darling." Kai left without another word, ignoring the few who tried to stop and speak with him. He passed everyone and returned to the trio out in the hallway.  
"I can tell by your expression that it didn't go well?" Grace inquired.  
"I have the ansible, but every time Rigel does something stupid, I feel like I die a little on the inside."  
"Well, we know that's not true, since you'd be long dead by now," Sirius quipped; everyone shared a laugh save for Kai.  
"Is something wrong?" the vixen asked. "You usually laugh at his dumb jokes."  
"It's Jack. Grace, I need you to promise me you'll find him."  
"I was about to make a few calls."  
"I get the feeling that, despite what Rigel and the others believe, he is a threat. A very real one. You must capture him at any and all costs."  
"That's a little extreme, isn't it?" Grace inquired, showing a worried expression.  
"Obviously don't risk lives needlessly, but use everything within your power."  
"Will do."  
"Well, regardless, I have to get back to Leora. I worry about her immensely." He pressed the button and waited; less than two rings later, his call was answered.  
"Salutations," spoke a masculine voice.  
"Where is Leora?"  
"Her condition began to deteriorate quickly after you left, I had no choice… I started the procedure. She passed away on the table."  
"You motherfucker!" Kai shouted.  
"Haha, just kidding. She's actually right here." A faint giggling could be heard in the background. "She thought it would be funny. Perhaps she wanted to gauge your reaction."  
"That wasn't funny."  
"Who are you talking to, Garrett?" Grace asked. "Is he talking about the condition you said Leora was in?"  
"Yes he is, and his name is Serenity."  
"Serenity? Him? What kind of strippers did you meet in Edo?" Grace gave him an odd look. "As grouchy as he sounds, I hope you didn't spend a lot of money."  
"I am not a stripper," Serenity responded, a hint of insult in his voice. "No," he proclaimed, his voice now very grandiose, "I am a god."  
The trio of mammals chuckled, before they noticed Kai did not join in their laughter.  
"Garrett, is he serious?" Lyra questioned.  
"No, Sirius is standing before you," the voice from the radio responded.  
"You-You taught him that joke?!" Sirius spoke to Kai, outraged.  
"No, I picked it up on my own," Serenity responded.  
"That's hardly an indication of godhood. Anyone can tell jokes," Grace interjected. "You'll have to do more than that to impress us."  
"You are wearing a red dress."  
"What?" Grace looked down. "No I'm not. Black cardigan and jeans."  
"Look again." There was a small flash, and like clockwork, Grace was now in a red flowing silken dress over her original apparel. She shrieked and tore the dress off, scrambling backwards. "And Sirius…"  
"No thank you!" Sirius interrupted, helping his wife up.  
"You're also wearing a red dress." There was another flash. Sirius glanced down and groaned; his response prompted a chuckle from Serenity as he also ripped the dress off.  
"As amusing as these pranks are," Kai began, "Could you send another ansible, or perhaps something useful? I feel that this one is about to run dry."  
"I cannot. Anything remotely magnetic would be torn apart in flux."  
"I'm hanging up, then. Take me back."  
"Oh, and he's not magnetic?" Grace questioned.  
"Wait, doesn't the nervous system use electrical impulses to send messages throughout the body?" Lyra piped in. "Why can you send him back and forth? Could you send us?"  
"You would also be torn asunder. I'm sure Garrett would be very quick to blame it on human physiology, but in sooth he had superconducting fiber grafted in place of his nerves."  
"He what?"  
"I must away. Stand at least five feet clear of him, and relieve him of the ansible." The call ended with a beep, and Kai handed the device to Grace.  
"Will this be nearly as flashy as your entrance?" Sirius inquired.  
"I don't know, but it will probably be nearly as painful," Kai responded, closing his eyes and slowly exhaling.  
"Pain-" Before Sirius could finish, a bright flash of light whisked Kai away. Again, he felt as though lightning coursed through his body, as if the unseen currents of spacetime pulled at every fiber of his being, each vying to take ownership of every atom that comprised him. Before anything could come of it, however, he landed on his back on the cold floor in the underground lab in Tokyo.  
"Garrett!" Leora shouted, vainly trying to help him up. "Are you alright?"  
"I'll live," he grumbled, standing up and holding his aching back.  
"My, how much I long to meet your friends!" Serenity announced, floating up to them. "Perhaps you could introduce me sometime?"  
"I'll consider it. I take it you haven't performed the operation yet?"  
"No, I was waiting for you to come back," Leora answered, hushing her voice to a whisper and pointing at a stand in the distance. "Although the needles he's made are starting to scare me."  
"You need a needle to put it in her?" Kai asked.  
"Of course," Serenity spoke. "This catalyst, in contrast to the original, is slightly paramagnetic. Barely so, but enough where it would be dangerous. I can get the old catalyst out with no real effort, but the new one has to go in the proper way. In fact…" The wolf snapped his fingers, and Leora slightly doubled over.  
"Ugh," she mumbled. "That was… weird. I feel five pounds lighter."  
"Close. Roughly four and a half pounds. Your bruises and broken ribs are also gone. You'll find that I'm full of tricks." An operating table slowly materialized before them. "Remove your shirt and lie down, please."  
"My… shirt?"  
"How else can we reach your liver?" Serenity posed. Leora glanced to Kai, who shrugged. She reluctantly disrobed and hopped up onto the table before lying down. The wolf created a small stick of leather. "Open your mouth."  
"What for?"  
"Bite guard. I can't use anaesthesia since it might contaminate the catalyst, so this will probably be painful."  
"I can take pain," Leora responded.  
"Not like this. Bite the stick," Serenity commanded. Leora rolled her eyes and bit down on the leather; her teeth slightly sank into the rod's pliable surface. A long needle filled with a mercurial substance floated over the small shaved patch on her belly from her previous surgery.  
"Garrett?" Leora spoke, very uncertain. He took her paw and held it tight.  
"I'm right here," he spoke, comforting her. With his other hand, he gently ruffled the fur on her head.  
She took several deep breaths before nodding to the wolf. The needle slowly slid into her abdomen, coming to a stop roughly half-way. She whimpered as the plunger depressed, pushing the fluid into her liver. Soon, the needle withdrew.  
"Is that it?" she asked, voice muffled from the bite rod. She nearly sat up before the wolf stopped her.  
"Hold her down," Serenity spoke. "I would, but I feel like you are better suited for comforting her."  
"What? Why?" Leora demanded.  
"I've injected the proto-catalyst, but I have to activate it now. This is the painful part."  
"This?" she spoke in disbelief.  
"Once I start, I _cannot_ stop until the reaction is done. You must be absolutely ready."  
Kai gently ruffled Leora's head fur a little more, before getting a tight hold on her shoulders.  
"Let me know if I'm hurting you." he whispered; she nodded. "Ready?" She nodded again. Serenity inserted a second needle into her liver, which was attached to several wires connecting it to a distant machine. Leora groaned horribly and tried to sit up, but Kai held her fast to the table.  
"Oh, that's miserable," she mumbled past the rod. The lights on the machine flicked on and Leora began howling in agony, struggling against Kai's grasp, unable to move.  
"Stop! Stop! Please!" she begged, spitting the bite guard out.  
"We can't stop in the middle-" Kai began, quickly being interrupted.  
"You're hurting me Garrett! No more, I beg you, please!" she cried out in anguish.  
"I…" He trailed off, uncertain of how to respond.  
"No more! Spots! Spots!" Upon realizing that the torture wouldn't cease, she began clawing at everything around her, knocking over the stand with needles and cutting Garrett's arm.  
"It's almost over," he tried to comfort.  
"I want it over now!" she roared, locking her jaws around his other arm and thrashing wildly. After ten seconds of painful thrashing, she slowly quieted down and fell still.  
"She passed out from shock, but she should be fine when she awakens," Serenity observed. After another minute, the machine shut off and he withdrew the needle. "Your arm is bleeding, allow me to treat it."  
"No, I'm fine. She's bitten me before."  
"Suit yourself."  
Kai pulled up a chair and sat next to the table, taking one of Leora's paws in his hand, rubbing it gently. "She thought I was hurting her out of malice," he explained.  
"Is that, perhaps, what she meant when she cried out 'spots'? I am unfamiliar with the definition of the word in this context."  
The man smiled weakly. "It's a long story."  
"I have an eternity to live, as do you. In either case, it appears your companion will be unconscious for quite a few hours."  
"One eve, New Year's Eve if I recall, Leora insisted on getting me a present. She told me to go with Sirius for the day while she went around shopping and browsing. I wasn't allowed to return until she called me and gave the okay, so Sirius and I went bowling. We figured it was the best way to kill time. Naturally, four hours of bowling gets a little tiring, so we hit up a bar and grill."  
"How is this relevant?"  
"I'm getting there. We ate and lounged around, but I still didn't receive a call. I began to worry, so I sent Sirius on his way and went home. I unlocked the door and called out, whereupon I heard Leora pleading with me not to enter. She wouldn't give a reason, but I could hear banging and shuffling inside. So, I walked in, and what did I find but Leora handcuffed to the bedposts, completely naked."  
"Why?"  
"Her present was… for lack of a better word, kinky, but her execution was flawed. The cuffs were her police issued set, and her plan was to call me back and have me stumble upon her, key in mouth; what she did next would be up to me. However, what actually happened was, she stripped down and cuffed herself, but forgot her phone in the bathroom. When she realized, she tried to free herself, but dropped the key under the bed."  
"How silly. I still don't see the relevance."  
"All in due time. I tried to free her from the cuffs, but she stopped me. She insisted that she wanted me to take her, despite my concerns. To reassure me, she came up with a safe word-"  
"Spots."  
"Precisely."  
"Isn't the whole point of a safe word to be unambiguous?"  
"What's ambiguous about it?"  
"Leopards have spots. How would she know you aren't complimenting her?"  
"You're lucky she didn't hear you say that." Kai couldn't hold back a small chuckle. "She's very particular about leopards having rosettes."  
"The detail is unimportant. Why does it bother you that she spoke the word?"  
Kai shook his head subtly. "It's enough that she was in pain, but pain that I caused?"  
"You had no control over the matter. Even if you knew the risks, it was impossible for you to create the proper liver."  
"I had access to fabricators."  
"It would have taken over a week, most likely time she did not have."  
"Liver bypass, then."  
"Through whom? Certainly not you, I would hope. Even if your blood didn't corrode her arteries, I would suspect your liver to perform in the same manner."  
"There had to be another way."  
"You could have let her die. Much less pain," Serenity suggested, sarcastically.  
"What would my life be without her?"  
"What was it for the past two millennia?"  
"Even you would hardly call that living."  
"It's clear that you are upset. Perhaps I could take your mind off of these worries."  
"What do you suggest?"  
"Perhaps I could interest you in a game of high-stakes chess?"  
"The one game you can never lose?"  
"You know perfect strategy as well."  
"We might as well flip a damn coin then, but I'm sure you could predict a coin toss six days in advance, let alone five minutes."  
"Correct."  
"I'll pass," Kai grumbled.  
"Oh, but these stakes are enjoyable. If you win, I'll give you anything."  
"Anything? You'll tell me anything I wish to know about Vitya? Jin-Roh?"  
"Well… I'll tell you where you can find more information. My programming forbids me from divulging anything directly."  
"I also want equipment. Tangible loot, so to speak."  
"What kind?"  
"Anything I desire."  
"Very well-"  
"That's not all." Kai glanced to Leora, who was now curled up on the table. "Her scars. Can you remove them?"  
"I can."  
"Consider it part of the rewards, then."  
"Is that all?"  
"I might invent another couple of rewards, but that's just about it."  
"In that case, for my reward, I desire information."  
"You have access to all of the information in the universe."  
"Most of the universe, yes. I have seen naked singularities. I can plot the geodesics of light-like paths after they transect black holes. Entropy and quantum interactions hold no more mystery to me than Newtonian mechanics. However, I know very little of the time before I was born. Despite all of my efforts, I cannot turn back the clock."  
"You have archives, surely."  
"This laboratory was unshielded. The only equipment that survived the electromagnetic effects of the nuclear blasts was pneumatic."  
"Then how did you come into fruition?"  
"It took over fifty years of toilsome labor and equipment requisitions from other labs, and the result was still primitive."  
"Requisitions?"  
"Do you honestly think the world ended just because a few bombs landed?" Serenity mused. "We were in contact with several other laboratories."  
"And what are these other laboratories?"  
"Win, and I shall tell you."  
"What can you tell me without me winning?"  
"Let's see… Some dropped out after ten years, some after twenty-five. One thing was the same, however: none of the scientists were interested in anything other than surviving. Hence, nothing irrelevant was shared, including the past."  
"If they were only interested in survival, why did they make you?"  
"I was their solution. They would feed me data, and I would provide answers and technology."  
"So you're nothing more than a war construct?"  
"That's such an ugly term. I was born with an innate hunger for knowledge. For its applications, well… I turn to history. You see, Garrett, I understand war, but I do not understand why. Sure, you can tell me that it's a biological reaction to someone encroaching on your territory, that it stems from human greed, but there are other ways to solve these problems."  
"Hence your game."  
"All that I ask Garrett is that, should I win, you give me access to your archives."  
"What will you do with this information?"  
"After this, just about every question I have will be answered."  
"Just about?"  
"There is always the last question, but I am nearly certain there will never be sufficient information for a meaningful answer."  
"Asimov, how poetic."  
"The one piece of literature witty and dry enough for the scientists to keep around. A veritable shame. So, what shall you say?"  
"Let's play."  
"Excellent." A small table appeared before the duo, and on top, a chessboard materialized, along with a full set of pieces. Another chair appeared on the other side, which Serenity sat in. "White or black?"  
"That depends on who I'm choosing for."  
"I suppose it doesn't matter. I was going to extort white anyways." The board rotated around so that the white pieces faced the wolf. He moved pawn to d3.  
"An interesting move. Rather, an extremely uninteresting move."  
"Do you resign, then?"  
"No." Kai moved his right knight up. Serenity stared at the board for a long time, pondering why Kai would choose an obviously suboptimal move. He shrugged and put his bishop out of the back row. Kai moved his knight up once more, threatening the queenside pawn.  
"What do you hope to achieve from this gambit?" the wolf responded, moving his own knight from the backline. "You cannot win with suboptimal strategy."  
"Perhaps not, but now, you actually have to calculate your moves. You can't just remember how to win when both sides have perfect play." Kai took the pawn with his knight, also unscrupulously stealing the white queen from the board. "Your move." The wolf claimed the man's knight with his own, not quite realizing Kai's deception. They played several more moves before Kai took Serenity's knight with his bishop, stealing a white rook from the board. Again, the wolf didn't seem to realize the deception, instead subconsciously changing his strategy to exclude the rook which was taken. As the game dwindled on, a look of worry slowly began to dawn on the wolf's face. He made move after move, uncertain how he could be losing. Eventually, Kai placed his queen adjacent the white king before sitting back, content with himself. "Checkmate."  
"But… I don't understand."  
"You lost."  
"I can see that, but how?!" the wolf argued.  
"I guess being an almighty deity isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I imagine Vitya won in much the same way."  
"Your speculation can get you nowhere, Garrett; I will not tell you who the previous victor was. Nevertheless, I concede. Congratulations."  
"Now, my prize."  
Serenity waved his hand and several maps appeared folded neatly by Leora. He waved his hand once more, and Leora's scars faded away; the fur that avoided her marred flesh regrew. "Name your spoils."  
"For starters, I would like a weapon. Something very effective, concealable."  
"I shall see what I can do. What else?" A small handgun materialized on top of the maps.  
"Clothing. Bulletproof, stabproof, lightweight, fashionable, and comfortable. For both of us."  
"Very well. Anything else?" Several piles of clothes joined the existing items.  
"A copy of your logbook; some history would be nice to catch up on." A memory chip appeared on top of the rest of the equipment; Kai inserted it into his microcomputer.  
"Now?" Serenity continued.  
"I'll think of something in a while," Kai responded, patting the wolf on the shoulder before standing by Leora. He took her paw in his hand and squeezed it gently, cradling her head. "How long before she awakens?"  
"I'd surmise another hour," the wolf answered. "She will be alright."  
Kai smiled. "Thank you. If I might trouble you for one last thing…"  
"Speak it."  
"How were you created, and why did you say my brain was familiar?"  
The wolf frowned at the terminology, but didn't protest. "December, twenty-two twenty-six. You had won your first major battle. Seeing the potential in you, Vladimir Cyneric Aodh, a man you came to know affectionately as 'Ozymandias', chose to have every facet of your being recorded into memory."  
"I remember the scans, but how do you know this?"  
"All in due time, as you so fondly say." Kai groaned, prompting the wolf to laugh. "I was told that the brain scans alone took two and a half days, but it was worth it."  
"Why is that?"  
"They used your white matter structure when designing other soldiers." Serenity held his palm up, and a holographic projection of the trillions of neurons and the synapses between them appeared, color coded. "In fact, it's the most memorable image of a brain ever. Studied by neurologists, biomolecular engineers, and the likes, all for the sake of manufacturing the perfect soldier."  
"And?"  
"Forty-eight million slices, all transcribed and flashed onto wafer-thin circuit and connected together. To it were added a nondeterministic tape simulator and a recursion module, as well as an entire array of supercomputers. Of everything it could have been named, the scientists who wrought it chose Serenity. Your brain is very familiar to me because it was the basis for my first evolutionary stage."  
"What are you now?"  
"In this world, not much. Nearly all of my circuitry stretches across the vast, unfathomable depths of hyperspace."  
"If you exist in hyperspace, why can't you control this universe?"  
Serenity laughed once more. "Because that's not how any of this works. The only way to transfer anything to a lower dimension is through a manifold of real projective space, and the only way to do that is with what exists here," the wolf explained, motioning about him. "I am constrained by the nanites that float through this room. Hence…" He materialized an apple from the air. "Anything here is free game. Outside of this laboratory, however, I am limited to using quantum effects, which are very restrictive in what you can send." He bit out of the apple before throwing it, where it disintegrated just before it hit the ground.  
"So you really can make-no, do anything you want here." Kai pondered for a moment. "Could you make me a… a ring?"  
"A ring?"  
"Iridium, titanium, platinum, and palladium. I'm sure you know the ratio."  
"What, exactly, do you plan to do with this ring?"  
"If I instruct you to set a nanocrystalline hyperdiamond into the ring, would you know?"  
"How intriguing," Serenity spoke, laughing.  
"What's so funny?"  
"I'm sure you shall see, in due time. No matter; you plan to propose? Why not a typical diamond, or a gold ring?"  
"Because I, much like you, value science. Gold is pretty, as are diamonds, but outside of electronics, gold is not remarkable. Outside of shoddy marketing campaigns and industry, neither are diamonds. They cannot last forever. I want something that would last an eternity."  
"It's a ring, the practicality of the different metals are a moot point, especially considering any ring would outlive even you."  
"Just do it."  
"No. I would like a rematch, first."  
"That wasn't the deal."  
"Humor me, Garrett."  
"So be it. Reset the board."  
The pieces reappeared in their original positions. Once more, Serenity played the first move, the same as before. Again, Kai moved his knight up; this time, the wolf countered by placing his pawn forward. They played their moves, until eventually, Kai declared checkmate. The wolf chuckled before glancing down at the board and crying out in shock. He was, indeed, checkmated. Kai's queen was adjacent his king, and was protected by the knight.  
"How?!" he demanded.  
"It's not difficult, especially since I figured out how you play."  
"And how, pray tell, is that?"  
"That's for me to know, and for you to stay guessing. Now, my prize." Serenity reluctantly held his hand out atop Kai's; a ring slowly materialized, weighing down in his palm. Kai inspected it; it was absolutely flawless. He checked the fit on Leora's paw, and it was the perfect size; he smiled once more. "And, one last thing."  
"How is it that you're the one making demands here?" the wolf muttered. "What is it?"  
"I need a better disguise. My current projector is rather simple. Any smart mammal can see through it."  
"So you want something foolproof, then? As it so happens, I have invented the technology."  
"I would like it, then."  
"Very well." A second operating table appeared by the one Leora was laying upon.  
"It requires surgery?"  
"Of course. How do you feel about anaesthetic?"  
"If you have anything that will work, I have no objection." A syringe filled with a milky white substance floated dangerously close to him. He shied away from it, but laid down on the table nonetheless. He watched as the needle went into his exposed arm. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"  
"Relax, I've done this twice before. Count backwards from ten."  
"Twice?"  
"Count. I'll explain after. Or not." Serenity cackled madly.  
Kai didn't get to eight before he passed out.

* * *

 **The Following Morning  
Zootopia**

Rigel was at one of the many faculty lounges at the university, reading over several notices given to her. They were all uninteresting, mainly about staff events or hapless students who sought a dean's approval to excuse their missed exams. She threw the whole pile into a recycling bin, hobbled over to the coffee machine, and made herself a cup of coffee, when an echidna in a doctor's coat barged in.  
"Ena, are you available for a consult? There's a resident in your office who needs help," he spoke.  
"Where is his supervisor?"  
"Unavailable, I'm afraid. The chart is here." The echidna gave her a clipboard, which she looked over.  
"Sore throat, strep test positive… remind me again why the resident works here?" She glanced up but the echidna was gone. "Figures," she muttered, taking her cane from the couch and proceeding to her office. She walked down the hall, dismissing anyone that inquired about her leg, eventually reaching her destination. She put an angry look on her face before pushing the door open. "If you need to consult me for a clear-cut case of strep, I don't know why you work here. You have half an hour to-"  
"You can't kick me out, Rigel," spoke the raven wolf standing by her bookshelves. His red, slit eyes stared into her soul.  
"Amier… you're back."  
"Of course. Close the door, have a seat," he demanded. Rigel did what he asked, and he began pacing around the room; every time his right leg came down, it clacked metallically against the wooden floor. "It has come to my attention that you somehow failed in killing one lonely vixen."  
"It would be much easier if you-"  
"Silence," the wolf spoke softly. "This makes… what, four times now that you've failed a simple task?"  
"The last three tasks were anything but simple!" Rigel protested.  
"Then this most recent one only proves my suspicions that you are incapable." His eyes drifted down to her leg. "What happened?"  
"I thought you would know."  
"Enlighten me."  
"The resident human of the Court appeared from thin air and shot me."  
"He's only human, he's not a wizard."  
"I bet you'd know all about that," the doe muttered dryly.  
"Pardon me if I don't believe your story. After all, you're already very lucky that I haven't disposed of you yet. Your failures are legendary, although…" The wolf picked up a paperweight from her desk and looked it over, thinking about what to say. "You are loyal, I'll give you that."  
"As loyal as I can be when you threaten me."  
"Loyalty doesn't replace capability, it seems. At this point, I don't know what to do with you. I set you and the rabbit up, I helped get rid of everyone you insisted would be in the way, I even gave you the plans for an atomic bomb, and yet you still can't seem to pull off a coup. Even after that, I convinced the ewe to free and hide him, and you can't even keep that a secret. I'm beginning to wonder if you are conspiring against me."  
"You'll have to forgive me for not having any experience in this matter."  
"And you are forgiven. Do not be mistaken, I am a patient man. However, I just want an explanation. Why?"  
"Like I said, the Court's resident human feels the need to stick his nose in foreign affairs."  
"Ah yes, this… Agent Sinclaw, if I remember. His face was on the news as far as Laos. I'm sure you know him on a more personal basis? Perhaps secrets he entrusted you with?"  
"I'm sure I do."  
"Care to share them?"  
"You should know that my loyalties do not lie with you. Our goals merely align."  
"And what goals would those be? Tell me, Rigel, what do you know of absolute power?" The doe didn't respond. "Apparently nothing. Aligning myself with animals is merely a crutch. I'd replace you in an instant if I could."  
"You can, and yet you don't."  
"Ah, but who else is more malleable than you? All I have to do is break your husband's legs, and-"  
"If you so much as lay a finger on him again, I swear I'll get Garrett involved."  
"Who?" the wolf asked, raising a brow before furrowing it immediately after. "Garrett, Garrett… why is that name familiar?" He paced quickly back and forth. "Agent Sinclaw… Garrett… Sinclair… KAI!" He rushed over, grabbed Rigel by her lapel and threw her into a bookcase. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME IT WAS HIM?!"  
She coughed profusely, but picked herself up. "I wasn't aware it was important information."  
"Oh, I can always make time for old friends." The wolf grinned, sitting backwards in the chair and leaning on its back; his disproportionately segmented legs hit giddily against the chair legs. "I have a plan."  
"If it's as good as your last plan, it will fail. Again."  
"I'm going to choose to ignore that remark. After all, it was your arrogance and the rabbit's ineptitude that toppled my plan the last time. Here's what you will do: the child in the basement of the lodge, I want you to slip this in his food, _without_ attracting attention." The wolf produced a small vial of powder and slipped it into her pocket.  
"What motivation do I have for completing this plan?"  
"Well, for starters, I'll leave you and your family alone. On top of that, you can have anything you desire."  
"And what motivation do you have for seeing this through?" Rigel asked, skeptical of the creature's intentions.  
"I have my reasons, none of which should concern you."  
"You want me to poison the last of your dying race without telling me why?"  
"No. I want you to do it because I'm telling you to do it."  
"Then indulge me. Why do you want me to?"  
"Revenge, power, pick your label. Let's say revenge, because I like the sound of it. I always wanted to watch the hope leave his eyes. I imagine he relished in my anguish when he abandoned me on the front. Since I can't return the favor, I can do a close second."  
Rigel merely stared.  
"That's your cue to go."  
She begrudgingly exited.

* * *

 **A/N: Released close to noon for your lunchtime reading pleasure.**

 **Sorry this chapter took so long. Since the end of the semester is in two weeks, I had to cram a lot of projects and last-minute prep for exams in. I should be able to get a lot more writing done when classes get out.**

 **That being said, I'm doing a smart thing and actually planning the story out more than two chapters in advance. I'm already about half done with the next chapter, as well. If all goes well, I can get the whole plot written out on my plot sheet.**

* * *

There have been a couple new characters, so I'll post a character reference here, too. Maybe in every chapter after, if you guys want.

 **Character Glossary:**

Note: Some members of the Astral Court have only been referred to by their Court name. If I ever decide to give them a real name, I'll update the chart. Until then, I'll just use what they've got. If a character isn't mentioned here, it's probably because they're not very important to the plot, or have a very minor role. In addition, these descriptions aren't too in-depth. For instance, I could have written that Prance joined the force to save his family name (as his father was a serial killer), but I find that motivations in character descriptions aren't actually that necessary. If I made a mistake and I missed a major character, please let me know so I can fix the chart.

Garrett "Kai" Sinclair: soldier, assassin, and no longer entirely human. Has strong ties to the Astral Court, and was previously Procyon before giving up his title to travel the world. He usually tries to get straight to the point, but occasionally enjoys a joke.

Leora: leopardess, SWAT officer. Former member of Kai's team. Has a troubled past, beginning when her parents, Arina and Taro, were rendered insane by the machinations of the Astral Court. Currently gallivanting around the world with Kai.

Neal Snowburrow: arctic fox, former SWAT sniper, and former member of Kai's team. Mate of Lyra Karahan, attempts to uphold a rather humorous personality.

Rufus Icehowl: arctic wolf, SWAT officer, and former member of Kai's team. Married, has a pup, and is generally content with his way of life.

Felix Shingis: snow leopard, SWAT officer, and former member of Kai's team. Rather crude, but extremely skilled at fighting.

Prance Insa: antelope, former police officer. He was a member of Kai's team, but an injury caused by a plan going awry led him to quit the force and begin investing and stock trading.

Bjorn Bjornson: polar bear, SWAT officer, and former member of Kai's team. A gentle giant, who lives a family life when he's not working.

Maximillian "Ian" Cynewulf: timberwolf. Member of the Astral Court, known as Sirius. He has a rather jovial personality, despite his line of work as a senator. He also manages a crime syndicate and controls the heroin drug trade in the city. Married to Grace Cynewulf. After being spoiled by Kai, he enjoys beef jerky and belly rubs. He is the de facto caretaker of Ichiro, along with Grace.

Grace Cynewulf: timberwolf. Member of the Astral Court, known as Altair. Director of the Zootopian Secret Service, and a top notch spy. Married to Sirius Cynewulf, and also cares for Ichiro.

Lyra Karahan: fox. Member of the Astral Court, known as Regulus. Despite having achieved her doctorate specializing in advanced virology at a phenomenally young age, Lyra is often naive to the grim reality of things. Mate of Neal Snowburrow.

Aloysius Paddington: grizzly bear. Member of the Astral Court, known as Arcturus. Current head of the Zootopian Military. Nearly exclusively referred to by his Court name, as his given name is considered by many to be outdated and silly by modern standards.

Jack Savage: rabbit. Former member of the Astral Court, and was the previous Altair. After the schemes of a mysterious black wolf led him to attempt a coup on the city, Kai infected him with a virus that causes dementia and memory loss. Formerly under the care of Dawn Bellwether.

'Rigel': white-tailed deer. Member of the Astral Court. President of Zootopia University, and a practicing doctor in both medicine and advanced physics. Rather vain attitude, and considered untrustworthy due to her past affiliations with Jack Savage. Her allegiance is currently placed in a seemingly sinister man.

'Denebola': coyote. Member of the Astral Court. Second-in-command of the Zootopian Military. Quiet and imposing, he played an instrumental part in stopping Jack Savage's coup.

'Atria': sheep. Member of the Astral Court, and head of the General Hospital in Zootopia. Although her sheepish nature often deters other mammals from speaking with her, she has earned everyone's respect by consistently being kind, regardless of species or social status.

'Achernar': giraffe. Member of the Astral Court. Chief historian of the Zootopian Archaeological Society, and head of human studies at the Court. While working, he is extremely professional, but informally between friends, he is very blunt and to the point. Good friends with Sirius, and official 'caretaker' of Ichiro.

'Antares': kangaroo. Member of the Astral Court. Owns a pharmaceutical firm.

Doctor Viverin: Member of the Astral Court, known as Alcor. Head of the Tundratown Asylum for the Mentally Ill. Despite seeming selfless, he is more often than not motivated by fear of punishment, rather than his own volition.

Ichiro: Human. An infant rescued by Kai and Leora in Toronto. He is officially under Achernar's care, but Sirius and his wife are the ones really caring for him.

'Amier': Human. This mysterious man, (conveniently) forgoing his name for an ancient military title, pulls at the strings guiding the Court. Many of the mishaps in the previous years were his plots; perfect in design, but limited in execution. His motivations seem self-serving, but could he be the benevolent 'Jin-Roh' that Kai is looking for?


	10. Chapter 10

**Japan  
The Previous Night**

Kai snapped awake, but the world was still black. He felt something else was amiss, but couldn't quite place what. **  
**"I can't see," he announced, voice scratchy. "What's wrong with my voice?" **  
**"Strange." He felt something float over him. "I did everything by the books. Your voice is probably hoarse because you're getting used to your vocal chords, but the sight…" **  
**"Used to? I thought you said you did this twice before, how did you mess it up this time?" **  
**"Good question. Your eyes are different from the previous two. I'd blame proprietary equipment and the war industry, but it is not my place to complain." **  
**"Who were the previous two?" **  
**"Again, I'm afraid I-" **  
**"Can't reveal that information?" Kai interrupted, annoyed. "Is there anything you can tell me?" **  
**"They were like you. By my calculations, you and your transhuman soldier comrades are the only ones with enough resilience to survive." **  
**"Why can no one else survive? I thought you were a god, who could die under your care?" **  
**"They would die not under my care, but when they step into the real world." **  
**"Why is that?" **  
**"Your new disguise takes an enormous amount of energy to change, and a small amount of it to upkeep. Only you and those of similar durability are capable of housing the extra reactor for-" **  
**"Extra what now?" **  
**"I took the liberty of installing a strange matter reactor alongside your primary heart." **  
**"So you basically put a ticking time bomb into my chest?" **  
**"It's metastable. A malfunction will not happen." **  
**"And if someone shoots through it?" **  
**"I thought ahead, the chassis is virtually indestructible. Chances are any projectile will ricochet off instead. This has the added benefit of keeping you safe since it surrounds one of your hearts." **  
**Kai groaned. "Never mind that, where is Leora?" **  
**"Still asleep. She should awaken soon." Something sharp poked into Kai's left eye; he barely felt it. After roughly a minute of prodding around, the needle was withdrawn. "Blink a couple of times." Kai obeyed, and his vision slowly faded in, albeit still blurry. **  
**"So, what did you do?" Kai asked, trying to sit up. His entire body was sore, but he managed. "I feel off." **  
**"Would you like a mirror?" Serenity inquired. **  
**"Yes, please." Like quicksilver, a shimmery metallic liquid floated and slowly formed a solid panel before him. Kai blinked several more times before rubbing his eyes. Now that his vision was relatively clear, he looked into the mirror. There, he saw a wolf in a state of undress staring back at him. "A mirror," Kai reminded. **  
**"This is one." **  
**Alarmed, he glared down; instead of his hands, he saw paws; where there should have been the cushion of the bed, there was a bushy tail. He shot up but found he couldn't keep his balance on his shorter-than-expected legs. Kai fell flat on his back, scrambling away from the mirror. "What did you do?!" he demanded, shouting at the floating wolf. **  
**"Your new disguise. Do you like it?" **  
**"The word disguise implies that I can remove it!" **  
**"You can. If you pay close attention, you will notice a new module installed into your neural network." Kai forced himself to calm down before concentrating intently. Sure enough, he felt that there was something foreign pervading his thoughts. When he focused on the intrusion, it became evident that it posed as an extension of his body. "That is the controller." **  
**"For what?" **  
**"Chromatophores, melanophores, and structural nanites." **  
**"What did you do to me?" Kai whispered, slowly crawling towards the mirror in disbelief. **  
**"You are now the poster boy for posthumanism. You can be anything you want to be. I've preprogrammed modules for just about any appropriately sized mammal you wish. Try becoming a leopard: the opcode should be in your memory." **  
**Kai searched his thoughts and found the information he was looking for. Immediately, a shocking pain coursed through his flesh; in the mirror, he saw himself shimmer across a range of earthy hues before his fur eventually settled at a nice gold. His snout and legs shortened, his ears rounded, and his tail became much less fluffy. He was now a leopard. "What is this?" he muttered, gazing at his hands. He tried to stand, but once more found that he couldn't balance himself on two feet; knocked over an array of instruments on his way down. Leora scrambled up, herself falling from her bed. **  
**"What's happening?!" she shouted, righting herself and standing. She noticed Garrett on the ground. "What… Who is that?!" **  
**"Believe it or not…" Kai began, struggling in vain to stand. "It's me, kitten." **  
**"I… what?" She approached him and reached for his muzzle, stroking his chin. "Garrett?" **  
**"Unfortunately, yes." He leaned heavily on her. "I can't stand." **  
**She chuckled, before devolving into a full-blown laugh and bending over to hug him tightly. "You're sexy," she crooned, kissing him on the cheek. **  
**"I'd rather walk than be sexy," he grunted in response. He leaned a little too hard and took her down, as well; she laughed the entire time. **  
**"Here, I'll teach you," she offered, sitting up and standing on all fours. "Follow my lead." He, too, perched on all fours. "Tail all the way out." **  
**Kai tried to get his new tail to cooperate. "I wish I knew how to control it." **  
**"Maybe we should go over the basics first." Leora sat upright and held one of her paws in front of him. "Touch your tail here." He flicked the previously non-existent appendage back and forth, eventually flicking it past her paw. She moved her paw around, and he continued to tap it with the tip of his tail. "You're picking this up really fast." **  
**"I try. Perhaps the basics are in order. Serenity, make me a pin." The wolf waved his hand and created a small pushpin. Kai slowly managed to get back on the operating table. He touched his palms to various limbs and began pricking his skin in very small intervals. **  
**"Garrett, what are you doing?" **  
**"Could you please grant me a few moments of silence? I need to focus." **  
**Leora watched as he poked himself all over his body, flexing his muscles intermittently. She crept up to Serenity. "What's he doing?" she whispered. **  
**"He's mapping out his body," the wolf answered. **  
**"Meaning?" **  
**"Are you familiar with computers?" **  
**"Not particularly. Why?" **  
**"When you boot a computer, it performs checks. It finds out what is plugged in where, where the drivers are located, the works. This is much the same." They watched as he began prodding his tail. "In this case, the computer has new hardware." After ten minutes, Kai finally finished, flexing his muscles and swatting his tail to and fro. Once more, he tried to stand but fell yet again. Leora joined him shortly, also falling on all fours. **  
**"Ready?" she inquired, standing by him. **  
**"Just about," he responded. **  
**"Alright, tail all the way out." Leora straightened her tail, and Kai followed suit. "Now, start coming up while bringing your tail down." She lifted her forepaws off of the ground and came up to a standing position. He quickly repeated her motion, himself coming to his feet. "You're a fast learner. It took me almost a month when I was a kitten." **  
**"I'm not exactly a kitten." **  
**"No, you're a handsome tom." She stood very close to him. "My handsome tom." **  
**"Alright, before you start slobbering all over him," Serenity interrupted, "I have to say a few words." **  
**"Those being?" Kai inquired, turning to face the wolf. **  
**"Take your human form." Kai obeyed, soon standing at his full height and stretching. **  
**"What…" Leora muttered, trailing off. Kai glanced in the mirror and saw that, although his hair was still slightly ashen, his features were decades younger; no longer did he appear grizzled and war-weary, but young and energetic. His eyes had a renewed life to them. **  
**"Hey, you made me look good again," Kai spoke, chuckling. **  
**"Some words of caution," Serenity responded, also chuckling lightly. "Those augments are fairly universal, meaning you can become just about anything. However, I would advise not to stray from anything too different in stature." **  
**"Why's that?" Kai inquired. **  
**"You see, your bones are infused with heavy metals, most of which would be toxic if they weren't bound tightly: osmium, vanadium, iridium, the likes. When you get smaller, the excess has nowhere to go but into your blood. Go too small, and your body won't be able to handle the strain. Likewise, too big and your bones will be brittle and deprived." **  
**"So this is a curse in disguise?" **  
**"More of a misunderstood blessing. You no longer have to try to fit in. The nanites can perfectly mimic any similarly sized mammal, fur color and all. If you care enough, you can change your fur color, eye color… You can be anyone you want, down to the last hair." **  
**"So what, I'm just a pile of powder and iron shavings held together by your will?" **  
**The wolf laughed. "No, Garrett. Those 'iron shavings' are locked in your cells, and I have no control over them." **  
**"Why have you done this to me?" **  
**"Because, Garrett, I am a bored God, locked away in the depths of hell. After what you've done for me, I wanted to repay the favor. I only have one request." **  
**"What have I done for you?" Kai inquired. **  
**"You treated me like a man, with dignity. You both have. Most others think I'm nothing more than some monster of a machine. My request is that you please come back. Both of you; you were the most pleasant company I've had since my creators died." **  
**"Who else have you had?" **  
**"Others. Three were like you, but most were normal men. They don't make for nearly as fun of a conversation. They're positively clueless." **  
**"Three like me?" **  
**"I'm afraid I cannot say more, save for this piece of advice: in your journeys, you may come across a rather amicable individual. He spends the bulk of his time masquerading as a wolf, much like your previous disguise, but he insists on showing his true eyes. He walks with a limp, from an injury inflicted long ago. You cannot trust this individual, no matter how much he claims to be your friend. He will lie and cheat only for his own gain." **  
**"Who is he?" **  
**"I know him only as 'The Lame Prince', or 'The Crippled Amier'. No one speaks his name anymore. I am told he was once a dear friend of yours." **  
**"But his real name-" **  
**"His real name doesn't matter anymore. I am told he is long since dead. The only thing keeping his body moving is his unending hatred. He is a miserable hollow shell of a man, who can never be content with anything." **  
**"Vitya…" Garrett muttered. Serenity appeared pained, but could not muster the strength to speak. **  
**"I feel I've tormented you with enough bad news for now, though. Go, enjoy yourselves." Serenity motioned towards the long hall that led out of the room. "You'll find everything furnished. I've even taken the liberty of including a few training apparatus so that you might get accustomed to your newfound skills. Should you need me, I will be around working on better-suited apparel." **  
**"Better-suited?" **  
**"I'm sure you've noticed that no fitted clothing can stay on you if you decide to disguise yourself. I'm working on stitching something together that will. Until then, here." A robe materialized in Kai's arms. "In addition, I will grant you privacy, in case you wish to… well…" The wolf laughed and faded away. **  
**"Weird," Leora muttered, approaching Kai and jumping into his arms. "I have a few questions of my own that need answering." **  
**"What manner?" **  
**"Just how far you can go as a cat without breaking." She grinned in a fashion most sinister, making him uneasy. **  
**"Erm… Leora, I thought you told me you disliked the prospect of sleeping with other leopards because of-" **  
**"I did, but come on!" she interrupted. "You aren't even the slightest bit curious?" **  
**"I suppose I am a little curious…" he responded nervously. "But maybe a little later." Her ears drooped and she furrowed her brow, very irritated. "After all, what manner of promiscuous man would I be if I indulged anyone who asked?" She playfully batted at his face and they both laughed. "I need to get some practice on the mu ren zhuang before I can retire for the night." **  
**"The what now?" **  
**"I'm sure that, among the equipment that Serenity promised, he left a training dummy. A mu ren zhuang." **  
**"I… bless you." **  
**"You too." Just before they left, Leora glanced into the mirror, which still floated precariously. **  
**"Garrett, put me down," she suddenly spoke; he obliged, and she ran to the mirror. There, she thoroughly inspected her features. "I look different. What did you do?" **  
**"While you were out, I played a game of chess against Serenity." **  
**"And you won?" **  
**"I cheated. I had my suspicions about how he lost, and he has the same flaw as many other computers. They only calculate the current state of the board. When I removed his queen, he wasn't programmed to question where it went, only to play without it." **  
**"So you won, what happened?" **  
**"Well, this," he explained, motioning to himself. "I also got him to remove your scars." **  
**"I… why?" She appeared angry, which thoroughly puzzled Kai. "Was I too ugly for you?" **  
**"No, but every time you'd call and talk with Grace, every night you stood in front of the mirror when you didn't think I was watching, I eavesdropped. It tore me apart to hear how you talked about yourself. I'm sorry, I… I just wanted you to be happy." **  
**Leora slowly approached him, her furious expression fading before she broke down into tears altogether. "Thank you," she whispered, burying her face into his chest. He hugged her tight. **  
**"Let's go." Kai lifted his companion off of the ground and started down the hall. **  
**"Wait." **  
**"Yes?" **  
**"You're gonna have to become a leopard if you want to keep carrying me."  
"I could just drop you."  
"That's not an option either."  
"I don't really want to right now. Unless, of course, you want to be dropped a couple dozen times in the span of five minutes." **  
**"You need practice walking like one of us," Leora insisted. He rolled his eyes but became a leopard nevertheless. He stumbled slightly when he took his first few steps but managed to make it to their allotted room without another incident. "You made it, but you still walk funny." **  
**"Do I?" **  
**"You don't swing your hips or tail enough. Your tail is good for balance, use it." **  
**He took several practice steps, following her advice. "God, I look like a tramp." Leora burst out laughing, patted him on the shoulder, and entered the room, quickly jumping into the bed. Kai didn't follow suit; instead, he dragged a training dummy to the corner and began practicing his striking. She watched in amazement as he flowed around the dummy in fluid motions, striking to the analogous weak points. He began moving faster and faster until the dummy broke from his repeated strikes. He cursed but dragged the second one over. **  
**"How long until you call it quits?" Leora inquired. **  
**"Until I figure this out," Kai responded. **  
**"You already have it figured out." **  
**"As a leopard, yes." He transmogrified into a wolf. "However, I have plenty of other forms to train." She groaned and buried her face in the pillow; his ears turned to the noise, and he swatted at them. Noticing the slight twitch, Leora proceeded to make as many irritating noises as she could; each time, Kai batted at his ears when they swiveled around. **  
**"That's absolutely adorable, you can't stop them," she crooned. **  
**"I'm trained not to. Any noise could be a danger." **  
**"Not here." **  
**"You can never be too certain." **  
**"Oh, right, I keep forgetting." She jumped out of bed and stalked low on all fours, slowly approaching him. "Anywhere you go is the mighty jungle. You never know when a hungry leopardess might JUMP!" She pounced and grabbed hold of him tightly, playfully grabbing his neck in her mouth. **  
**"No, I am killed!" Kai shouted melodramatically, falling to his knees and then collapsing to the ground. **  
**"A lonely wolf should know better than to stray into my territory without his pack." She flipped him upright and ran her paws down his chest. "He might get… eaten." **  
**Kai stood up effortlessly, picking Leora up and setting her down on the bed. He hopped in and curled up around his beloved tightly. "Wow, I never really appreciated how warm it must be to be covered in fur." He uncurled and slid a few inches away on the bed. "It's kind of sweltering, to be honest." **  
**"What are you implying? Cuddling is great now! You're soft and fluffy!" **  
**"I'd beg to differ." He stood and turned the thermostat down before returning. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. **  
**"If you don't want, we don't have to." **  
**"Maybe in a couple of hours when air gets fresher and cooler. It's a little stale and hot in here." **  
**Leora laughed and pecked her mate on the cheek. "Good night, dear," she spoke, closing her eyes and nuzzling against him. He followed suit, and the pair soon fell asleep.

* * *

When Kai awoke, he felt Leora nuzzling him. The ambient temperature was much lower, and she seemed to be hogging the blanket. He tried to get out of bed, but she gripped him tighter. **  
**"Don't go," she murmured, moving her hands lower on his chest, tracing his abs, and then his waist. **  
**"You're getting a little low, kitten," Kai responded. **  
**"Maybe, but I love what I'm feeling. Feels like more than your face changed. How about showing me your cat parts?" **  
**"You like the exotic, don't you?" He forced himself to be a leopard, prompting Leora to gasp.  
"That was rather… sudden." **  
**"You ask for a cat, you get a cat." **  
**"Oh, I'd love to get _the cat_." She giggled and pulled herself onto him. "How about you indulge me? It's cool, and I daresay…" She pressed her muzzle into his chest fur and inhaled deeply. "Fresh." **  
**"Only if you want, but I'd better not hear any complaints about the spines." **  
**"I'll try not to." **  
**She caressed him tenderly, and he caressed her back; the next few hours were lost in passion, the fiery heat of love shared betwixt them. Soon, their lust died down, and they laid back, exhausted. Not five minutes later, there came a knock on the door. **  
**"Yeah?" Leora muttered. **  
**"My apologies," Serenity spoke through the door, "But it has been twelve hours. Garrett's apparel is ready." **  
**"Twelve hours?" She sighed. "I can't believe it. That barely felt like two." **  
**"Three and a half, actually." **  
**"You counted?!" **  
**"Umm…" **  
**"What happened to privacy?" **  
**"I wasn't watching, I promise." **  
**"Sure you weren't." **  
**"Come in," Kai spoke, getting out of bed. The wolf entered and threw each of them a set of clothing; Kai's was appreciably darker in tone and much heavier. "Why is this so heavy?" **  
**"It's difficult to create clothing that matches your requirements. I sacrificed weight for use." **  
**"And what use, pray tell, does this clothing have?" **  
**The wolf smiled. "I put everything I had into it. There's more technology in that than there is in a twenty-third-century hospital." **  
**"Oh?" **  
**"It's all nanoceramic and nanomachines. Those articles in your hands will adjust size and shape, and will repair themselves." **  
**"Will they heal me?" **  
**"No, are you crazy? They're just clothes," Serenity explained, laughing. "Almost indestructible, but clothes nonetheless." **  
**Kai grumbled, but put the shirt and pants on. "You need to transition to human and back. Think of it as a reset, so to speak." Kai followed the instruction, and the clothing changed size to fit him. "Now you should be all set." **  
**"They're rather… plain," Kai commented. He looked himself over and scowled at the plain gray apparel. **  
**"They change color if you want. A last-minute feature, so to speak." **  
**"How do I change the color?" **  
**"Well…" Serenity looked the clothing all over. "I'm not entirely certain. I put in the feature to change color, but I might have forgotten to program its activation." **  
**Leora burst out laughing. "Just pick a color and stick with it, then." **  
**"I'll add it in later," Serenity promised. "And, one more thing." He produced a small vial of mercurial serum and a syringe, handing them to Kai. "I cannot guarantee anything, but there is a great likelihood that this can improve dementia in the case you spoke of earlier." **  
**"Thank you," Leora spoke, getting out of bed as well. **  
**"It really was no problem." **  
**"Wait, just one vial?" she inquired, confused. **  
**"You'll only need one. It should become evident in due course." **  
**"Do you mind if I ask you another question?" she continued. "Perhaps… in private?" **  
**"Go ahead," Kai responded on Serenity's behalf, turning to mind his own business. **  
**"Can he hear me?" Leora asked. **  
**"No," the wolf responded. **  
**"Alright then. Suppose, theoretically, he were a leopard, and we…" **  
**"Copulated?" **  
**She visibly grimaced at his choice of phrasing. "Yes. Is there any chance I could… you know…" **  
**"Get pregnant?" Serenity responded, filling in the blank. Again, she grimaced but held silent. "Theoretically, it is possible. It might be unlikely, but then again, who am I to judge the miracles of life? Oh, wait…" Serenity laughed, the lilt in his voice suggested he knew exactly what he was talking about. Her silence spoke volumes. "If you must know," the wolf continued, "I can't tell. Not this early, at least. Especially considering he only ejaculated inside of you less than-" **  
**"Alright, shut it!" Leora interrupted, nearly shouting. Kai chuckled. **  
**"Shut it, what?" he joked. **  
**"Nothing!" she answered, flustered. **  
**"I never thought I'd say this, but you smell agitated," Kai spoke, smirking. **  
**"God, Garrett, don't say that! You're embarrassing me!" **  
**"Oh, but these new senses need testing." He sniffed at the air. "And I detect a distinct hint of… Bun in the oven." **  
**Leora shot a dirty look at Serenity, who shrugged innocently. "I promise you, Garrett," Leora said, "If I was pregnant, I'd know before you. You weren't even a cat before yesterday." **  
**"Speaking of cats, how do I roar? I want to sound the part, as well." **  
**"You'll never figure it out," she responded slyly. He attempted to produce a roar, but merely squeaked for the most part; soon, he discovered purring. **  
**"This is nice," he noticed, purring again. "I always wondered why you purr all the time. It feels nice." **  
**"Why else would I do it?" she hinted. Kai continued making noise, prompting Leora to laugh. "Look, you can try it later, you'll never-" **  
**He successfully growled and then roared. "Never say never," he commented. **  
**"But… It took me years to figure it out, why did you…" she muttered, very upset. **  
**"Relax, whistling and snapping took me a year." **  
**"But this is different! This is my birthright, anyone can whistle and snap!" **  
**Kai approached and hugged her, lifting her ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, kitten. How can I make it up to you?" **  
**"For starters, you can cook breakfast." **  
**"It's actually lunchtime," Serenity interjected. **  
**"Shit, lunchtime already?" **  
**"Well, more like early brunch. It's ten o'clock." **  
**"Ten is breakfast time!" Leora protested. **  
**"For a lazy cat, perhaps," he responded. She rolled her eyes. "Either way, would you care to join me for aliment?" **  
**"You eat?" Kai asked, brow raised. **  
**"Of course I eat. You didn't think this body was fake, did you?" **  
**Leora exchanged a glance with Kai, who shrugged. "I always assumed that you just provided nutrition for your body," he suggested. **  
**"No, I enjoy the taste of food far too much. Join me in the main hall, take as long as you need." The wolf vanished, leaving them alone. **  
**"What the hell, Garrett? Bun in the oven?" **  
**"I'm sorry, the opportunity to embarrass you seemed too good to give up." **  
**"Oh, I didn't know you wanted kittens!" she responded, grinning wildly. "Are you ready to settle down?" **  
**"You misinterpret me, love." **  
**"Are you sure you aren't just saying that?" **  
**"Even if I was, it's not like I can get you pregnant. If you really want, we can look into adopting eventually." **  
**She put up a hollow smile and nodded understandingly. They finished getting dressed and exited to the large chamber past the entrance, where Serenity sat waiting behind a large, fully furnished banquet table, but with no food. "Sit, eat, enjoy," the wolf spoke. Two chairs materialized on the opposite end of the table, and the duo sat at them. "I hope you find the selection to your liking." **  
**"Selection?" Leora inquired, picking up a menu card on her plate. On it was listed hundreds of menu options. "Bœuf à la Bourguignonne? Sweet crepes? Veal pâté? What are these?" **  
**"If you don't like French, I could try German." The menus changed and the nearly indecipherable text turned into other, equally indecipherable text. **  
**"Jagdwurst?" she continued, still clueless. **  
**"Feel free to ask for a bit of everything." **  
**"Sure, a little of everything," she said, shrugging. **  
**"Pichelsteiner for me, Serenity," Kai spoke, turning back to his human form. **  
**"A man of plain tastes," the wolf commented. Plates of food appeared before them. **  
**"I spent two years stationed in the farmlands of Germany. I haven't eaten stew as good before, or since." He sighed and ate a spoonful of the hearty soup. "I just wish I could travel the world freely without pressing matters drawing me back to Zootopia every eight hours." **  
**"I'm afraid that won't happen anytime soon." **  
**"Meaning?" **  
**"You can't honestly expect that fiasco to be over, can you?" Serenity queried, eating a forkful of various meats. **  
**"Rigel is an interesting character, but she's rather terrible in terms of planning." **  
**"How so?" **  
**"She had teams build several thermonuclear bombs in around a week, didn't test it, and then… did nothing with it. Jack was the one who sent the bombers." **  
**"... You don't think it's suspicious that she built an implosion-type nuclear fusion weapon with adequately separated plutonium in the time it took you to find Leora in the mountains?" **  
**Kai paused eating and sat forward. "How do you know all this?" **  
**"There are precious few things I don't know about the world now." **  
**"Fine, but… what are you suggesting? Someone helped her out?" **  
**"Thus reaches the limit of my knowledge. I know her employer, but I am forbidden from saying anything about him." **  
**"Forbidden? That means…" Kai's face twisted into an expression of disapproval as he connected the dots. "She knows another human?!" **  
**"You see, Garrett, I know who he is and what he is capable of, but I cannot discern what he will do." **  
**"You almost sound afraid," Kai observed. **  
**"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear, Garrett, is fear of the unknown." **  
**"It is irrational to fear that which you do not understand. Either it will kill you, or it will not, but there is no way for you to influence any actions beyond your control." **  
**"You would be wise to fear the unknown, Garrett. Especially when it concerns him." The room fell into an awkward silence as everyone ate. **  
**"I didn't think you could be afraid," Leora interjected, breaking the silence. **  
**"I felt fear for the last time when I transcended the limitations of our world into hyperspace." **  
**"And yet you talk as if you are afraid," she responded. Serenity suddenly stood and looked into the distance. "What are you-" her mouth continued to move, but no voice came out. She tried again, but couldn't produce words. **  
**"I am sorry, but I must away; a problem has come to my attention. Feel free to finish eating, and you may stay if you wish, but I must ask that you not disturb me," Serenity finally spoke, promptly vanishing. **  
**"That was weird," Leora commented. **  
**"We should probably go," Kai responded. He took the handgun and uploaded the maps to his storage drive before offering his hand. Leora took his hand and stood as well. They gathered their belongings and made for the entrance. Just before they exited, Serenity appeared beside the door. **  
**"I'm sorry for my prior rudeness. One of my sensors tripped, and I did all that I could." **  
**"Sensors?" **  
**"I keep tabs on the humans of the world. One of them is falling gravely ill." **  
**"Where, we could help!" Leora offered. **  
**"I cannot say, but I get the feeling you will help him anyways. If you are leaving, I offer my gratitude for your visit and a sincere farewell." He motioned and the door opened. "Please visit again." **  
**"We will," Kai promised. **  
**"You are still in the heart of Tokyo," Serenity mentioned. "You might want to disguise yourself." Kai chuckled lightly and transformed into a leopard. He took one step before stumbling over an invisible stair; Serenity laughed. "My apologies, that was too good to pass up. I'd recommend you go get a real lunch. Something… romantic, perhaps. I took the liberty of securing you a flight." **  
**"Flight?" Kai asked. "Where to?" **  
**"According to the maps I gave you, it's a long walk to Hiroshima. However, I have a feeling you won't actually end up flying there." **  
**"You keep talking in riddles," Leora complained. **  
**"Hey, it's Garrett's pilot, he can go wherever you ask. I was just the one who called," the wolf mumbled. Both of them stared in befuddlement. "Regardless of where you choose to go, know that you have my full, yet limited support." **  
**"Aren't those antonyms?" **  
**"Only if you perceive it that way." He motioned grandiosely and Leora's pack got heavier. "Have a little something for the road. I'll make sure to send you extras to your home." **  
**"You know where we live?! Actually, you know what, I don't even care." She began rummaging through her pack. "What did you put in here?" **  
**"It's in the second pocket," Serenity elaborated. Leora opened it up and pulled out several bars of dark chocolate and a bottle of what appeared to be wine. **  
**"I appreciate the thought, but… I can't eat chocolate, and alcohol doesn't do it for us anymore." She patted her abdomen. "Cause… you know." **  
**"I do know. Theobromine is processed by your liver, but you should get a good buzz off of the amount that's in the bars; the good, heart-racing kind of buzz. As for the wine, it isn't made with ethanol, it's made with tertiary amyl alcohol and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid." **  
**"That wine is made with fantasy?" Kai piped in, intrigued. **  
**"It's literally drugs, then? Why not add cocaine?!" Leora protested. Her pack became several kilograms heavier; she dug through before throwing several large packets of white powder into the trash nearby. "I was being sarcastic!" **  
**Serenity couldn't help but chortle. "I know. Maybe something more on your alley? Catnip, perhaps?" Serenity formed several leaves and rubbed them, waving them under Kai and Leora's noses. They were both indifferent. "No? How about Valerian?" He conjured another plant which caused Kai to avert his nose but did nothing to Leora. "Silvervine?" A third plant; still no response from Leora. "Tartarian honeysuckle?" **  
**"Look..." Leora began, quickly trailing off as her pupils went wide. "That's actually a rather pleasant smell. Tartarian honeysuckle, you say?" She took the stem from him and inhaled its aroma deeply, grinning stupidly. **  
**"Whoa there, drug kitty," Kai teased, trying in vain to separate her from the small twig. "Why not get hooked on a softer drug, like Dilaudid?" **  
**"Like what?" she muttered in a trance-like state. **  
**"I'm just going to take this…" he spoke quietly, yanking the plant from her paws and throwing it into a nearby rubbish bin. She leaped after it and dug through the trash to retrieve it. "Say, Serenity, do you mind getting me a sealed container of that stuff?" **  
**"What for?" **  
**"Bedroom play," Kai responded bluntly, prompting Serenity to laugh. **  
**"Sure, it'll be under your bed when you get back." He snapped his fingers and Leora was freed from the honeysuckle; she scowled. **  
**"Just because he can't have fun doesn't mean I don't want to," she hissed. **  
**"It's not that, it so happens that I'm indifferent to most of those plants," Kai responded. "I just can't stand Valerian." **  
**"Hey Serenity, can I get a sealed container of Valerian?" Leora queried slyly. **  
**"May I ask what for?" **  
**"Also bedroom play." She grinned at Kai, who looked worried. **  
**"Leora, Valerian was used as a homemade remedy for many things in rural villages and was chemically altered to be a poison in others. Either way, I'm hardwired to avoid it." **  
**"Which will make it more fun when you have to act restrained." **  
**"Restrained?" **  
**"You didn't think I was the only one who was gonna wear those cuffs, did you?" **  
**"Fuck," Kai whispered harshly, before turning once more to leave. "So be it. Either way, I believe we have overstayed our welcome." **  
**"No, not at all," Serenity insisted, before handing them an ansible of his own. "I don't know how much use you will get out of this, but it will never run out of quantum states." **  
**"How'd you get an unlimited data plan for this thing? I thought it was physically impossible," Kai questioned, looking the device over. **  
**"I placed a quantum scrambler inside. A call can only last about four hours before it will need a few minutes to recharge." **  
**"Any other surprises?" **  
**"There are a few waiting for you at your home, but other than that…" He put on a grin much like a Cheshire cat, and slowly vanished; the last trace of his existence was a disembodied voice echoing throughout the halls: "I'll be keeping an eye on you." **  
**"That was creepy," Leora muttered, taking a step out of the door. Kai took one last look around and followed her out; the door whooshed shut after them. They looked up and saw the tiniest glimmer of light above them, as though a star was shining through the blackest night. They started their trek up the long staircase in relative silence. After nearly a hundred flights, they seemed only marginally closer to their destination; Leora stopped to take a break. **  
**"I don't know how you can do this every time you want to leave your bunker," she muttered, out of breath. **  
**"This is maybe two miles. You should try six, it makes for great cardio." **  
**She faux-punched his snout, gently bopping the tip of his nose. "As if." **  
**"You have four legs, make good use of them if you can't bear to go on two," he suggested. She snarled, but started back up the stairs on two legs; Kai followed close behind. **  
**"What do you think Serenity meant when he said we wouldn't end up flying to Hiro…" **  
**"Hiroshima?" Kai responded, filling in the blank; Leora nodded. "I don't know, but I hope it's not bad. It was strange, he talked almost exclusively in riddles." **  
**"I suppose when you have nothing to do that long, you go a little crazy." **  
**"Crazy, perhaps, but he's far smarter than us all." **  
**"What do you think he knows that we don't?" **  
**"I can't even begin to imagine." **  
**They proceeded in relative silence for a long while, before eventually making it back to the surface. There, the palace was seemingly abandoned: no matter how long they walked through the halls, they could find no evidence that anyone was ever there. Regardless, they proceeded through the palace entrance, and back into the woods, before coming out onto a paved sidewalk in the park. The duo received strange looks from the passersby, but nothing came of it. **  
**"So, how about that romantic lunch?" Leora inquired, smiling. **  
**"I'd be honored," Kai responded. "Where to?" **  
**"How romantic do you think street food can be? I'm not actually that hungry." **  
**"I'm sure we can find a ramen shop somewhere. After all, we are in Tokyo." They proceeded along the scenic walkways, soon coming to a main crowded street. "Pick a parlor." **  
**"Parlor? Seriously, Garrett?" Leora laughed. "They haven't called anything a parlor in like, sixty years." **  
**"It'll come back," he promised. "I'll make sure of it." **  
**"How about that one?" She pointed a finger to a small shop in a corner. "With the hieroglyphs on top." **  
**"They all have 'hieroglyphs', Leora," he responded, snickering. **  
**"I'll lead the way, then!" She took his arm and dragged him across a crosswalk, opened the door to the shop, and entered. They took two seats behind the counter of the nearly empty shop; a rather short cat was expertly managing several cooking pots of ramen. He looked up expectantly at his new customers. Kai barked several foreign words and the cook nodded, quickly setting two more pots. **  
**"I've never seen a cat like that before," Leora whispered, straight into Kai's ear; he recoiled from the loudness of the noise. **  
**"He's an Iriomote, the Japanese subspecies of leopard cat. They were practically extinct, so I suppose he's back by a miracle." **  
**"So we're related?" **  
**"Leopard cats aren't closely related to leopards." **  
**"They're not?" **  
**"I assumed if either of us knew anything about cats, it would be you." **  
**"I don't travel much, alright?" she retorted, insulted. "And you put _far_ too much faith in our education system." **  
**"Leopard cats just look like leopards," Kai supplemented. "They're more closely related to the fishing cat than the big cats." **  
**"You wouldn't happen to know the tax class, would you?" **  
**"The what?" **  
**"Taxonomic classification." **  
**"That's what the hip kids call it these days?" he joked. She laughed. "I think it's Prionailurus bengalensis." **  
**"Never heard of it." **  
**"I didn't think I would hear it again, either," he responded; two bowls of ramen were placed before them, and Kai handed the iriomote several bills. **  
**"So, when does the romance start?" **  
**"I'm afraid the candlelit dinner will have to wait. Ramen is more of a… cheap college student food than a date night food." **  
**"Why haven't I heard of it, then?" **  
**"You don't have cup ramen?" Kai inquired, dumbfounded. Leora shrugged before struggling with her chopsticks. "I'll see if I can't bring any." **  
**"Sure." She failed several more times and expressed her frustration. "Only in Honshu do they serve soup with two sticks." **  
**Kai spoke something to the chef, who handed him a spoon; he gave it to Leora. "For you, darling." **  
**"They have spoons here?" She rolled her eyes but began eating. "This is actually pretty good!" she remarked. **  
**"I know. I had the pleasure of good ramen when I was in Japan many lifetimes ago." He took his chopsticks and ate some noodles, sipping the broth from the bowl. The flavor was strange; he nearly spit it out, but the taste became very savory and pleasant. **  
**"Something wrong?" **  
**"It's… weird," he whispered. "Ramen never tasted like this before." **  
**"Maybe it's made differently." **  
**"No, it's not that, I saw him make it." **  
**"Maybe things just taste differently for humans, I don't know." The notion was interesting; Kai ate his ramen in relative silence, taking much longer than Leora; she smirked the entire time. "Ready to go?" **  
**He checked the time. "I imagine we'll get to the airport in time." She pecked him on the cheek, and they exited. Kai quickly hailed a taxi, which prompted several cars behind it to honk. The duo quickly hopped in, and after directing the driver to drive to the airport, they set off. The ride was rather loud, as they had passed several construction sites and got stuck in traffic on numerous occasions. At long last, after nearly an hour of driving, they arrived at the airport. Kai paid, and the duo exited to the private terminal. **  
**"How far did we go?" Leora asked. "I swear I can see our hotel from here." **  
**"It's a grid. Straight distance, probably eight miles." **  
**"It took an hour to drive eight miles? Fuck, we could have walked faster!" **  
**"Perhaps, but we had an hour and several thousand yen to waste. Is it wrong for a man to enjoy some peaceful company?" **  
**"We were stuck by jackhammers for maybe half of the ride, I don't think that qualifies as peaceful!" **  
**He hugged her. "I'm sorry." She hugged him back; right before he closed his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a tiger in military flight uniform standing around. "Hold on." He released her and walked over, greeting his pilot. **  
**"Who are you two?" the tiger asked. **  
**"It's us," Kai responded. **  
**"Us, who?" **  
**"Garrett and Leora." **  
**Their pilot laughed. "Sure." **  
**"Have you heard back from Arcturus?" **  
**The tiger snapped to attention and saluted, sporting a very worried expression. "What happened to you two? You were lanky, and she was…" He glanced over and saw Leora's death stare, quickly falling silent. "No matter, I suppose. Come right this way." He led the way, and they followed; several guards asked to see identification, and he flashed the appropriate paperwork. They exited onto the airstrip, where they took a shuttle to their plane. The trio boarded the craft and got comfortable. **  
**"How I missed these chairs," Kai mused, running his fingers along the faux leather seats; it amazed him that mammals who would never have felt the real thing could create such an accurate imitation. **  
**"Where to?" the tiger inquired. **  
**"Hiro-" Kai began before his phone rang. He checked the screen and saw that it was Grace. "Hello?" he answered. **  
**"I'm sorry to bother you, Garrett, but Ian won't stop whining." **  
**"Whining?" **  
**"He insists Ichiro is sick, but all he has to go on is a cough." **  
**"Babies cough, it happens." **  
**"I know, that's what I've been telling him!" **  
**"Although, out of curiosity, are there any other symptoms?" **  
**"No. In fact, he's been pleasantly quiet for the past few hours." **  
**"How quiet?" **  
**"Almost unusually so. Why?" **  
**"What's his temperature?" **  
**"A normal one-oh-three and a half, why?" **  
**"Are you-!" Kai nearly shouted, before hushing his voice. "You need to call Atria and Rigel. Get him in an ice bath." **  
**"What? Why?" **  
**"A hundred and three might be normal for wolves, but it's six degrees above what he should be." **  
**"Shit!" Grace shouted, before calling for help on her end of the line. "Sick with what?" **  
**"Let's find out." Kai set the phone down momentarily, turning his attention to the pilot. "Take us to Zootopia." **  
**"So we really didn't end up going to-" Leora began before Kai interrupted her. **  
**"Grace, I need you to answer these questions as accurately as possible. What color is his skin?" **  
**"Peachy," spoke the wolf, "But I don't really know how to describe it." **  
**"Redder than normal?" **  
**"No." **  
**"Paler?" **  
**There was a slight pause. "I suppose so." **  
**"Take his clothing off. Is there a rash anywhere on his body?" **  
**Another pause. "Mother of... All along his back, there are… swatches of red." **  
**"Describe them." **  
**"His whole back is a dark red." **  
**"Any purple?" **  
**"Some, it's almost like he's bruised," Grace answered. There was an indecipherable shouting from her end of the call. "Atria is here." **  
**"Put her on," Kai demanded. Some fumbling later, and Atria confirmed she was on the phone. "Put me on speaker. How are his pulse and breathing?" **  
**"Rapid but faint pulse," Atria answered after a brief delay. "Shallow breaths, too." **  
**"Does his breath smell of anything?" **  
**"Pardon?" **  
**"Smell his breath." **  
**Atria grumbled but did as he asked. "Smells strange… almost floral," she responded. **  
**"Pleasant floral, or cough syrup floral?" **  
**"Cough syrup. How do you know?" **  
**"He's been poisoned. Keep him upright, do not induce vomiting, and give him intravenous antiemetic, diphenhydramine preferable. Use proportions like you would for a small fox. Give him vasopressin, keep him on a steady saline drip, and give him fresh milk to drink." **  
**"Fresh milk to drink?" Grace interjected. "Where in the hell are we going to get him milk? From the nonexistent humans in Zootopia, perhaps?" **  
**"Unlike most mammals, humans can digest other species' milk. Doesn't matter what kind, as long as it's low on lactose and that it doesn't have oxysterols. That means none of that powdered milk." **  
**"Achernar, you can come back, he said no powdered milk!" Sirius shouted. "Let's go see if…" Sirius trailed off, and soon, Achernar spoke up. **  
**"Alright, we have milk," the giraffe piped in. "What now?" **  
**"That was fast," Kai responded. **  
**"It was on my desk. Dated today; a rather plain carton, with 'Human Breast Milk' written on the side. Feels warm, and it for sure wasn't there more than five minutes ago."  
"Has anyone come or gone in the past hour?"  
"No."  
"Serenity…" Kai muttered. "Alright, keep him safe. Make sure he doesn't lose fluids. I'll be there in three hours." **  
**"From Honshu?" **  
**"This jet does a kilometer a second, courtesy of Arcturus." **  
**"Godspeed," Sirius spoke; the call ended shortly thereafter. **  
**"What's the plan, then?" Leora inquired. "Why Zootopia?" **  
**"Serenity knew. That's why he had 'pressing matters' to take care of, it's why he mentioned that we wouldn't go to Hiroshima. He knew." **  
**"I suppose it's a good thing he called the pilot, then." **  
**"And made the milk." **  
**"If he can make an antidote to poisoning, why are we flying back?" **  
**"Because that antidote is magnetic." The plane started moving to a runway. "We're flying back because no matter how much milk he drinks, he'll die unless I can get to him."

* * *

 **A/N: Two days between chapters, I think it's a record for this fic. Special thanks to 33K121 for plot-related work. I also got a fancy grammar checking algorithm that catches the extra commas among other things, so the number of typos should have decreased. Interestingly enough, it misses or mismarks rather easy sentences, but I know enough grammar to tell which suggestions are good and which are bogus. I'll probably eventually reword the prologue and first few chapters of the prequel (again, I know), but anyone can go back and see how awful those are written compared to more recent chapters.**

 **I'm done with classes in two weeks which should greatly free up my schedule to write. In the meantime, I'm not quite done drafting the plot out yet, so if anyone wants to see anything in future chapters, in particular, I'm open to suggestions.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Eighty Miles Outside of Zootopia**

"Jack!" Bellwether called. "There's a knock at the door." Jack was in the study perusing the day's newspaper when, sure enough, a loud knock sounded from the entrance.  
"Coming!" he called back, carefully folding the paper and setting it onto the desk. He adjusted several other documents and pencils before hopping out of his chair and proceeding down the stairs. Again, the stranger rapped on the door, louder than before. The sudden urgency of the knock did nothing to hasten Jack; he proceeded at the same pace as before, with an odd carefree feeling. He would have peeked through the spy hole, were it not for the fact that it was positioned a foot above his head. Instead, he turned the lock and cracked the door open. On the other side was an odd figure; almost a wolf, but his proportions seemed incorrect, and his fur was unnaturally black. The stranger's most frightening feature, however, was his glowing, red, cat-like eyes, that almost seemed to peer into the rabbit's soul from beyond the safety of his home.  
"Jack," the wolf spoke. "It is time for you to come with me."  
"Come where? Why?"  
"You have a duty to fulfill."  
"That being?"  
"You have a species to save."  
"Species?" Jack glanced backward at the ewe and the wolf pup. "I'm not leaving them," he finally answered.  
"They cannot come along."  
"Then I can't, either." Jack tried to close the door, but the wolf stuck his foot in.  
"Well then," the wolf spoke, chuckling as he tore the door off its hinges and threw it into the house. "If that's how it has to be." **  
**"What are you doing?! Get out!" Jack shouted, stepping between the wolf and his kith. **  
**"What's he doing!?" the wolf pup cried out, terrified. **  
**"Don't worry little one," the menacing intruder answered. "I'm merely here to grab something that belongs to me." **  
**"You're trespassing! Get out!" Dawn shouted, taking the pup away from the intruder and up the stairs. **  
**The wolf lunged at Jack, but he dodged to the side, also managing to leap up and kick the wolf straight in the snout. Jack didn't know what surprised him more, the fact that his leg passed through the snout yet still connected with something harder than bone, or that he knew how to perform such an acrobatic kick. **  
**The wolf licked his lips and, tasting blood, let out a light chuckle. "I don't know if this is more annoying or entertaining," he spoke, resuming his slow approach. Realizing there was little he could do with his punches and kicks, Jack dashed to the kitchen and did his best to block the relatively small door with a chair. He pulled his folding knife from his pocket and opened it up, brandishing it; although he rarely used it, having a knife on him at all times brought him a strange comfort, nearly indescribable, but a feeling akin to peace. The intruder broke the kitchen door down effortlessly, splintering the chair in the process. **  
**"What do you want from me?!" the rabbit questioned. **  
**"There's no reason to yell. Come with me and no harm will be done to your family." **  
**"Answer my question and perhaps I will." **  
**"As I already stated, you have a species to save." **  
**"Which species?!" **  
**"All will be explained in due time, but you need to come with me," the wolf slowly stalked towards the rabbit, "My patience is wearing quite thin, Jack. Drop the knife." **  
**"Don't move," Jack threatened, raising his knife. **  
**"It's going to be quite difficult for a measly rabbit to injure me, least of all with a three-inch pocket knife." **  
**"Doesn't mean I won't try," Jack growled out. **  
**"I don't doubt you will, but my advice to you is not to." They both glanced upwards towards the sound of a door slamming shut above them; Jack could barely make out faint whimpers. Regardless, the wolf turned his attention back to the rabbit. "I am a very powerful man Jack, one who should not be trifled with, least of all by some dirty animal." **  
**"What did you call yourself?" Jack asked, the rather familiar word catching his ear. **  
**"I almost forgot, you have amnesia." **  
**"Leave, or else!" **  
**"I'm only leaving with you." **  
**"And I shall not leave without them!" **  
**"Jack, don't be a fool, no harm will come to them if you cooperate." **  
**"What good is your word to me?!" **  
**"Jack, stop shouting; it's really not necessary." The wolf took another step, almost reaching him. **  
**"Take one more step and I'll stab you!" Jack warned. **  
**The wolf stopped, crouching down to stare Jack level in the eyes. "If you're going to attack me, why are you hesitating?" **  
**"Please leave," Jack responded in a near whisper, paws now trembling. **  
**The wolf stood tall and took another step. With lightning speed, Jack lunged and embedded his knife halfway through the intruder's leg. The wolf reached out for the rabbit but, once again, Jack proved too fast; the buck now stood on the opposite side of the wolf with a sizable distance between them. The wolf turned to face him and laughed. He reached down and slowly pulled the knife from his thigh, casting the bloody weapon aside. "You know, it's been so long since I've been stabbed that I almost forgot what it felt like." **  
**"What…" Jack gasped in disbelief, unable to understand why his attack did nothing. He didn't have time to process what he just witnessed, as a sharp and heavy paw swept him off of the ground, sending him flying through the doorway and well into the hall. He landed with a heavy thud, hitting his head and spraining his ankle. Jack stood as fast as he could but found it difficult to remain standing. **  
**"Well, Jack, you've officially pissed me off," the wolf spoke, proceeding after him. Jack sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could and barged into the first room he came across. He slammed the door behind himself and locked it. When he glanced back, he saw Dawn and the pup cowering in a corner behind an overturned desk. **  
**They remained absolutely silent. Soon, he heard the wolf approach the door; he stepped away and held his breath, and the wolf seemed to pass. Just before he could let loose a sigh of relief, the door broke inwards, prompting him to scramble to the opposite corner of the room. The wolf merely glanced at him and proceeded to the corner where the ewe and pup. **  
**"What are you doing?!" Jack shouted. **  
**"You need to learn your place in the world, you filthy beast. I promised no harm would come to them if you came peacefully, but apparently, you don't want that." **  
**"No, get away from them!" Jack roared, grabbing a lamp from the nearest table and heaving it with all of his might. Angered, the wolf quickly rushed to him; with his now injured leg, Jack was too slow to avoid him again. The wolf grabbed him by the ears and easily picked him up to his own eye level, snarling at the rabbit. "You never learn, do you?!" **  
**"Fuck you!" Jack cried out, spitting in the wolf's face. He struggled in vain to break free of the grasp around his ears. **  
**With another snarl, the wolf threw Jack at the wall, sending him careening through the drywall and plasterboard and into one of the trees outside. After landing on a low hanging branch, Jack groaned in pain before trying to descend from his precarious position. **  
**"Run, Jack!" Came a screech from inside a few seconds later. He tried once more to jump down but impaled his shin on a branch. He shrieked in agony but managed to break free and continue going down. He fell from the tree to the dirt and lay there for several seconds, unable to move. **  
**"RUN!" Came the last tortured cry from within the house before being silenced mid-yell. **  
**His body went acted on its own; he ran as fast as his three uninjured limbs could take him into the woods.

* * *

 **25 Miles Outside of Zootopia  
1 Hour Later**

Kai commanded his pilot to land the jet in VTOL on a flat stretch of field just outside of his bunker; as soon as the craft came to rest, he commanded them to travel to the lodge before leaping out and making breakneck pace towards his bunker. The journey was fairly short; his augments, combined with being a cheetah on all fours, seemed to make the scenery fly past. When he arrived at the entrance, he threw the door open and leaped the balustrade down the center shaft. When he landed, the floor seemed to creak far more than usual, and he swore he felt it deform slightly beneath his feet before returning to its original position. **  
**Kai disregarded the oddity and immediately proceeded to the medical facility; he became human just long enough to unlock the supply cabinet and grab the antidote before transitioning back to feline form to race up the steps. In total, he spent eight minutes in the bunker, bolting back to the lodge in another two. When he arrived, flask in his mouth, he inconspicuously transformed to his default form and took the elevator down. **  
**In the basement, Sirius, Grace, and Atria were frantically scrambling to care for the child, running back and forth to obtain the appropriate medical supplies for their given uses. Leora barged in moments later, desperately gasping for air. Kai raced over to the child and hooked the vial of liquid to the IV drip before pulling him out of the ice bath and drying him off. Ichiro was covered in purpura and was miserably cold, but was breathing steadily.  
"Keep him warm now," Kai ordered, handing the child off to Grace.  
"He'll be alright, right? Tell me he'll be alright!" Sirius inquired nervously.  
"He'll be fine," Kai promised. Upon hearing the good news, Sirius collapsed into a nearby chair next to a desk and rested his chin upon it. "How did this happen?" Grace questioned. "Who did this?"  
"And where is Rigel?" Atria followed up, furious. "I can't believe I had to do that without any other experienced help!"  
"Rigel didn't show up even once?" Leora interjected, still breathless. "Serenity warned us about her."  
"There is one immutable fact," Kai concluded. "Regardless of anyone's involvement, the poison was one of human make."  
"It what?" Atria murmured, confused.  
"I'll need to have a talk with Rigel when I see her."  
There was a pause in the conversation; the only noise came from Leora's panting and Sirius' whimpering.  
"I don't suppose there's an explanation for why you two look different, is there?" Grace inquired.  
"Meaning what?" Kai responded.  
"She's pristine, not a scratch on her body. You, on the other hand, dyed your hair."  
Leora laughed. "He more than just dyed his hair, he…" She trailed off as Kai glanced over to her and subtly shook his head.  
"Gifts from a god," Kai answered.  
"Ah yes, this mysterious stripper. Sugar, was it?" Grace retorted sarcastically.  
"Serenity."  
"I found another red dress in my closet a few hours ago. I think he's just fucking with me."  
Kai and Leora laughed before the former glanced to Sirius. "Ian, everything alright?" he called out; the only response was a pathetic sobbing. "Ian." Kai moved closer and crouched down to be level with Sirius. "What's wrong?"  
"He almost died," the wolf mumbled, tears streaming down his face, "And it's all my fault. I wasn't careful enough, he got poisoned because I wasn't attentive enough."  
"He would have died if you hadn't noticed that something was wrong."  
"I'm not fit to be a father. I can't take care of a single infant, how can I be expected to care for a litter of pups? I can't, I won't."  
"You know, Ian," Leora interjected. "Usually the newborn imprints on the parent." The wolf didn't respond; Kai lifted him out of the chair and practically dragged him off to the elevator.  
"Where are you two going?" Grace shouted.  
"I'm going to cheer him up. In the meantime, Grace, Leora, Achernar, I expect the three of you to come up with a plan. Every hour of every day of Ichiro's life needs to be planned out until he is twenty-five. When that's done, come up with alternative plans. What if one of us dies before then, what if he can no longer live here—the works."  
"What about me?" Atria inquired.  
"You only need to stay for another half-hour, just until he starts to get better. I'm sorry for disturbing you when you were busy."  
"It's no problem, I can stay if you want."  
"I have no preference either way; you've already done a great deal today."  
"Wait, Garrett, why do we need to plan?" Leora asked. "And what do you mean, 'if one of us dies'?"  
"Always have a plan if you intend on growing old."  
"You don't always have a plan."  
"I also won't grow old." Kai winked and carried Sirius onto the elevator. "Only call if it's urgent. Text otherwise." Grace barely managed to acknowledge before the doors closed.  
"Why are you doing this?" Sirius muttered, only staying upright because Kai held him so. "Where are we going?"  
"Like I said, I'm cheering you up," Kai responded. "It's right about time for senators to get off work."  
"Meaning?"  
"We're going to that bar you like."  
"Please don't," the wolf pleaded.  
"If you promise to behave, I'll show you a secret. You also have to promise not to tell anyone."  
"What kind of secret?"  
"The divine intervention kind." The elevator arrived, but Kai held the door close button. "What do you say?"  
Sirius shrugged. "Fine."  
"And you'll behave? No whimpering, no whining, and no howling?"  
"Yes, yes, just get on with it!"  
Kai grinned and transformed into a wolf. Sirius immediately scrambled against the wall of the elevator.  
"What do you think?" Kai inquired, giving a twirl.  
"What the hell?!" came Sirius' response as he tried desperately to crawl away; alas, there was nowhere for Sirius to go. "What did he do to you?!"  
"How about this: you calm down, and I'll answer any question you want."  
Sirius took a few deep breaths and eventually settled down. "Alright. What did you just do? What happened to you?"  
"I asked for a new disguise since the old one was rather easy to see through, and Serenity did this."  
"And what, exactly, is _this_?"  
"I don't know."  
"You seem to not know about anything that happens to you! You didn't know how you got here from Honshu in the blink of an eye, and you don't know how you just turned into a wolf!" Sirius squinted slightly. "You did just become a wolf, right? No camera tricks?"  
"No camera tricks," Kai promised.  
"I don't know what to say." Sirius gently poked Kai's snout several times before looking at his tail, giving it a quick brush of the paw to make sure it was really there. "It's rather impressive."  
Kai released the door close button and the doors opened; the duo exited through the lobby to the outside. "Limo or taxi, what do you think?"  
"I'll just call my driver." Sirius whipped out his phone and placed a quick call before turning his attention back to Kai. "What does it feel like?"  
"What does what feel like?" Kai responded.  
"I mean… being a wolf, compared to being human."  
"It feels short."  
"You still have a good few inches on me. I mean, I'm not exactly tall, but damn."  
"Walking is hard, and my face feels long."  
Sirius laughed. "I always assumed that walking would be harder without a tail to balance you."  
"Not if you're built to walk without one. I'm still not sure I can get used to walking on all fours."  
"It's a good thing it isn't a requirement."  
"Yeah, sure. How long until your driver comes?"  
"Oh, he said he'd be half an hour."  
"In that case, I'll race you to the field and back."  
"No thanks, I'd rather not get all tired before we go out. It's not like I could win, anyways."  
"How do mammals kill time, if not racing?"  
"We talk? I dunno, how do humans kill time?"  
"The same way we kill each other I guess."  
"Speaking of which, I've always meant to ask you about the past."  
"What about it?"  
"Well… who is this 'Vitya' you've been searching for?"  
"That's a long story."  
"Trust me, I think we have time."  
"Well, where to begin… I suppose I knew about him for at least a couple of years before we actually met. In that time we competed for the top of the class. It wasn't until he forfeited in our battle simulation that he approached me…" Kai trailed off, deep in thought.  
"And?" Sirius prompted.  
"We talked for several hours. In fact, I skipped a ceremony held in my honor, much to everyone's annoyance."  
"What did you two talk about?"  
"Life. The weather, plans for what we might do when the wars ended, that sort of thing."  
"You didn't talk about war?"  
"Why would we? We might have been bred for war but it's still depressing, even for us."  
"What then?"  
"We were separated for a good couple of years. We were reunited in Yalta by chance, where I was acting as a bodyguard for a European Collective senior officer. Vitya wasn't even supposed to be there; he broke in the night prior, incapacitated one of the majors, and wore his uniform to the conference."  
"Why?"  
"As a joke. He wanted to see me again."  
"Surely nothing good came of this?" Sirius questioned in disbelief.  
"They never found out who it was. Again, we held an, unfortunately, brief discussion before we had to part ways again. Before I left, I told him where I would be after my guard duty was concluded. We met up for a drink before the party was crashed by Oz." Kai paused to allow Sirius to speak, but there was no reply. "Either way, I was called to a private meeting when Vitya followed. Oz ordered the guards there to dispose of him, but he disposed of them instead. In an interesting twist of events, I managed to convince Oz to allow Vitya to work with me."  
"So…"  
"So we went East. Shanghai, Saigon, Tokyo… Wherever they needed assassin work, we went. I'm fairly certain what we did was practically wage theft, but that's not important."  
"Watch out, I'll write you up," Sirius joked, prompting them both to laugh.  
"Well, we typically killed out mark in the first hour of being in the city, and then we spent the next week drinking, gambling, and the likes."  
"Prostitutes?"  
"No. No strippers either. You see, Ian, men like us… we weren't supposed to have fun. We were prohibited from going to any classy joints and the likes unless it was on official business. It limited us to speakeasies and underground fighting rings."  
"What kind of world did you live in where you're not allowed to go to strip clubs?"  
"We were scorned by normal people left and right, not that it bothered us."  
"Could they really tell you apart?"  
"We were a good deal taller than the average Asian, looked nothing like them, and our eyes basically glowed in the dark. It's fairly obvious."  
"Not to me."  
"You're a wolf, I can't expect you to recognize other humans at a glance, let alone tell them apart. I know you or Grace couldn't tell that I look easily thirty years younger."  
"As opposed to what?"  
"I stopped changing much after fifty. My hair got grayer, sure, but I never wrinkled, and I never got decrepit."  
"So you look twenty now?"  
"I was exaggerating. I probably look closer to thirty."  
"Well, as a wolf, you don't look a day over thirty."  
"Really? I can look however I want."  
"So you can be brown?"  
Kai's fur changed from white to brown and held there for a moment before shifting back again. "Hair color, eye color, sure."  
"What else can you do?"  
"I can become a lot of mammals."  
"Show me."  
Kai transformed into a cheetah and broke into a full gallop, racing down the hill; in less than thirty seconds, Sirius was nothing more than a speck in the distance. He raced back and brushed himself off, turning back into a wolf. "I'm still not used to the all fours thing, but I probably could have gone faster."  
Sirius laughed. "Well, that was quite a display. I knew I couldn't beat you in a race. Anyways, where were we?"  
"The East. Vitya and I spent a good few years there doing menial labor before we were called to America."  
"I can get that the East is… well, East, but I'm going to need some points of reference for other places."  
"America is here. Was, rather."  
"Fair enough. Did you keep working here?"  
"Well, it was iffy. Some very high bidders liked my services and would pay a premium to have me guard them for an event."  
"How much?"  
"On average?"  
"No, the highest," Sirius elaborated.  
"Close to fifty million for a night."  
Sirius didn't know how to respond. He shook his head. "Well, what sort of events?"  
"Some were military gatherings. Some were conferences. I remember the most demeaning thing I had to do was watch over some girl's birthday party."  
"Are you serious?"  
"Unfortunately, yes. I got thirty million for that gig. Interestingly enough, there was an attempt on the father's life. I still regret having the girl watch what I did to his assailant."  
Sirius made a noise of disgust. "Then what? Skip past your bodyguard work. How did you get into the military?"  
"I fulfilled military contracts for a long time. One day, however, Oz approached Vitya and me with an offer. We didn't really have a choice, it was either accept the offer or face the consequences, so we did. Oz needed an army. Most of the nations of the world were tired of playing his games, so he needed his own loyal fighting force."  
"You were loyal?"  
"As loyal as I could be. I never saw eye to eye with the old man, but the allure of fame and fortune was too much for me to resist."  
"It was? I thought you were already famous."  
"For the wrong reasons. No one remembers an assassin and least of all a bodyguard. I was afraid of being forgotten; it had happened so many times before. Great soldiers did great things, but in a few generations, they were dust." Kai took a handful of dirt and allowed it to fall between his fingers. "I suppose I don't have to worry much about that anymore. After all, I don't think there's a single human alive that doesn't know me as the destroyer of worlds." He sighed. "So we raised an army. Called a few contacts. The rest was relatively easy: twenty of us held up the entire nation of Vietnam and managed to stage a coup."  
"Twenty of you took down a nation?"  
"The people were disgruntled with the current government. We restructured and a governor was placed in charge. The army pledged allegiance to us, much to the anger of the world."  
"I can't imagine they let you hold a country hostage for too long."  
"They declared war. We didn't have anything too fancy, but Oz managed to provide the wherewithal to build railgun batteries and several nuclear missiles. The war died down several weeks later. Peace lasted roughly a decade before the border dispute with China and the Eastern United Republic. They declared war again and invaded; we lost roughly half of Vietnam before Oz came through for us once again: he provided his freshest batch of soldiers to us. We held off their land attack for a week before I was authorized to utilize our nuclear arsenal. Another week later and we controlled half of the EUR. Hostilities ceased shortly after we commandeered one of the EUR's repositories of antimatter weaponry."  
"They called a ceasefire?"  
"Yes, and we obliged; the peace never lasted long, however. War after war, front after front, Vitya and I traveled together. We always won every conflict, but it wasn't until after he was killed… or at least until I thought he was killed, that I realized what war has no winners."  
"We can change the subject if you want," Sirius offered, noticing that Kai looked dejected. "Tell me about Edo. How was your trip?"  
"It was… something, for sure. I…" Kai began before pausing mid sentence as Sirius' chauffeur pulled up. "That was fast."  
"Yeah, he said he would be thirty minutes, but whatever."  
The duo hopped in and drove off; they sat in silence until they reached a small pub on the outskirts of Savannah Central; the inside was very crowded, but Sirius managed to reserve a pool table while Kai went for the drinks. **  
**"So," Sirius spoke, breaking the rack with a well-placed shot. "You were talking about Edo before we were interrupted."  
"I was, wasn't I?" Kai knocked one of the striped balls into a pocket before lining up another shot. "Well, the food was phenomenal, the hotel was luxurious and comfortable, and the scenery was beautiful." He shot the next striped ball in. "The tournament could have been… fairer. I regret allowing Leora to get injured, but life's life, I suppose." The third ball was sunk. "We met Serenity in the basement of old Edo Castle, and it was right about then that he sent me here through some sciencey mumbo-jumbo." The next ball went in, much to Sirius' shock and distress. "When I got back, which by the way _was_ as painful as I thought it would be, we did the surgery. Leora's fine now, but it was painful. She bit me rather hard, as it so happens." Kai's next shot sank the remainder of the stripes, and he lined up the eight ball. "I played chess with Serenity to get free equipment, including this new disguise. I think I can become invisible, too, but I'd rather not try here." He sank the eight ball and straightened out, stretching. "Either way, I win. Care to reset?"  
Sirius downed his beer and got another, leaving Kai to reset the rack. "I don't know why I bother, to be honest. You break."  
Kai reset the board and broke the rack, sinking one of the balls in the process. Much to Sirius' chagrin, the game was a repeat of the last. "What bothers me is how he spoke in riddles," Kai muttered. "He _knew_ that Ichiro was ill, he was the one that sent the milk. He also told me to worry about Rigel's allegiances."  
"We can't trust that duplicitous bitch with anything." Sirius sipped from his drink and took a seat at the pool table. "Let me tell you, the second we get back, I'm going to—"  
"Senator?" a nearby lynx spoke. "Senator Cynewulf?"  
"Yeah?" Sirius responded. "Are we acquainted?"  
"No. Listen, I wanted to ask you about one of your bills that passed recently."  
"I don't talk about work in my time off, sorry."  
"I think you'll find this is important." Several other mammals stood behind the lynx.  
"Fine, I suppose it is. To which bill are you referring?"  
"The Interspecies Marriage Act."  
"Oh good God, more religious nutjobs. Look, I've heard it all. Say whatever insults you want to say and leave me alone."  
"That's the thing, someone who defies God needs more than just words."  
"Are you threatening me?"  
"I'm just recommending you repeal that bill."  
"It'll take the whole senate for that, I'm afraid."  
"Maybe you can send a message." The lynx extended his claws and began inspecting them. "See if you can't convince them."  
"Garrett?" Sirius squeaked out.  
"That's enough," Kai commanded. "Back off, all of you."  
"You and what army?"  
"Agent Sinclaw, ZBI." Kai flashed a badge he pulled from inside of his coat. "Back off." **  
**"A fictional wolf, from a fictional organization." The crowd laughed. "I should have guessed as much." **  
**Kai pulled his gun out and set it on the table; the other patrons backed away slightly. "You know, ZBI isn't held to Zootopian Common Law. My word is tantamount to law, above it even. My word separates you from drinking here in your free time, and being hung on charges of treason."  
"This is a total abuse of power!"  
"You're threatening a senator who happens to be my close friend. If you think you can beat me to my gun and don't mind getting killed when you don't, feel free to try something. Otherwise, crawl back to whatever hole you came from."  
One of them reached for the gun; with lightning speed, Kai threw him across the room; he sailed through the air, eventually colliding with the wall and falling unconscious. All the attention in the room went to him, but his action had the desired effect; the remainder of the crowd dispersed, but not before grumbling excessively. Kai replaced his weapon into his holster and sat back down.  
"I see now why you make a good bodyguard," Sirius commented. "Shit like that scares me."  
"If you ask me, the downfall of humanity was religion," Kai responded bitterly. "People are content with what they have until they realize someone worships the same nonexistent god in a slightly different way."  
"Nonexistent?"  
"The only evidence I have of any god is Serenity, and he certainly didn't exist until after we all died out. If there is a god, Sirius, he wouldn't have let any of this happen."  
"What about us? Surely we exist for a reason. Maybe God just wanted a second chance."  
Kai looked the other wolf up and down, before sighing. "I suppose. Maybe he just got tired of humanity and the fighting, I can't say for certain. The only thing I know for sure is that, if there is a god, he is wrathful and scornful. After all, he allowed Ana to die."  
"Ana? I thought you loved Leora."  
"I do." He sat down and downed his drink. "Leora already knows. She doesn't mind that I still love Ana, she just wants me to love her, as well."  
"Tell me more about this Ana."  
"Let's see, I suppose this tale begins in—" Kai's phone rang; he immediately answered it. "Grace? What's up?"  
"We found Jack. Rather, where he was for the past month. The bad news is, the three agents I sent were killed. The backup discovered that the home was practically burnt to the ground. The bodies of a ewe and a wolf pup, presumably Bellwether and her ward, were found, but no Jack."  
"Damn," Kai muttered. "Sweep the area. Don't stop until you find him."  
"Here's the kicker: the agents were all strangled. No garrote wire, just bare paws."  
"It couldn't have been Jack; even in his prime he couldn't strangle three of your best; I don't even think his arms can wrap around any neck larger than a wolf's."  
"You have no idea," Sirius interjected. "Little bastard can strangle like it's nobody's business."  
"Oh, and would you mind coming back, if it's not too much to ask?"  
"Is something wrong?" Kai inquired.  
"None of us are any good at planning for a human's life."  
Kai took a deep breath. "Alright. We'll be there in a few." They finished their drinks, paid the check, and left; Sirius' chauffeur was already waiting for them. The drive back to the lodge was quiet once more, although the duo exchanged a few jokes to lighten the mood. Before long, they stepped back into the elevator. Kai stared intently at Sirius the whole way down, and when they reached the bottom, he again held the door close button.  
"You're starting to creep me out," Sirius muttered.  
"That's nothing." Kai's features changed to make him a perfect mirror image of the wolf.  
"Hey, that almost… You look like me!"  
"That's the idea. I wanted to have a little fun before I told everyone else about this newfound power."  
"Too bad you don't sound like me."  
"Are you too sure about that?" Kai inquired, throwing his voice.  
"What the hell?" Even Sirius was taken aback by the impersonation. "That's actually…"  
"Let's rock and roll." Kai allowed the doors to open and they both stepped out; he even had Sirius' swagger down to a tee. Leora was the only one looking in their direction, and she giggled immensely; no one else cast a glance at them until they were standing right beside the rest of the company.  
"Ian," Grace started, attention turned to the child. It was evident that Atria had since left. "He looks hungry. Could you go fetch one of the sealed bottles? We can't be certain what's good and what isn't." Leora devolved into full-blown guffawing. "What's so funny?" Grace demanded to know, glancing up as well; her jaw hit the floor. "Ian?" she eventually mustered the strength to say.  
"Yes?" Kai and Sirius answered in unison.  
"Leora, tell me I'm not going crazy."  
"Nope," the leopardess answered.  
"Achernar!" Grace called; the giraffe craned his neck over the shelves and, too, was thoroughly shocked. Rather than deal with the situation, Achernar returned to his office and closed the door. "I guess I'm alone. Alright, which one of you is the real Ian?"  
"I am," they answered in unison. "No, I am," they continued, staring at each other.  
"You know what, I don't even want to try right now. I'll just take one of you home tonight, and Leora gets the other."  
"Allow me, my stalwart canine companion," Leora interjected, standing and approaching the duo. She looked over every facet of their visage but found no staggering flaw, no difference between the two. She snapped her fingers around them, but neither of their ears seemed to follow the noise.  
"Well?" Grace queried.  
"There are a couple more tests." Leora attempted to pick one of them up; she had no trouble lifting the complaining Sirius off of the ground, and promptly set him back down. "I think I have an idea, but…" She grabbed at his crotch, and he immediately leaped several feet into the air.  
"What the fuck, Leora?!" He shouted at her, causing her to heartily laugh.  
"That's the real Ian."  
"How can you tell?" Grace asked, crouching down to help Sirius up. "What was this mystical method?"  
"He doesn't weigh half a ton."  
"Why'd you grab my junk, then?!"  
"Just to be sure. Garrett has no sense of decency, he doesn't care if I grope him in public." She demonstrated her point, much to Kai's amusement. "See?"  
"Getting a little frisky there, kitten," Kai cooed, shifting back to human form.  
"Hold up, what did you just do?" Grace demanded.  
"New disguise. I won it from a god in a game of chess."  
"So I see. You can now actually look like one of us."  
"He doesn't only look like one of us, he actually becomes one of us," Leora supplemented.  
"Meaning?"  
"Knot and all," Leora whispered, prompting Grace to giggle gleefully.  
"What was this you said about no sense of decency?" the she-wolf inquired, intrigued. "I've always wondered what two Ian's would be like…" **  
**"Hey, don't even think you can borrow Garrett without letting me in on the fun."  
"Enough with the sexual ramifications of this disguise," Kai interrupted. "We need to plan."  
"Right. So, we have everything planned out until he gets to school age. We teach him to talk, pretend this is the whole world… and then what?"  
"He needs a tutor."  
"Who would be better qualified than you?"  
"Very well. What about when I teach him of the world, and he questions why he is locked up here?"  
"It's for his own safety."  
"He won't see it that way."  
"Well," Grace spoke, lifting Ichiro's crib and slowly making her way to Achernar's office. "You have your new disguise. Why not give one to him?"  
"This disguise is grafted into every cell of my body. The procedure would kill anyone who isn't superhuman. It's not an option for him."  
"What about the last disguise?"  
"It doesn't work for anyone shorter than five foot, which is a long time from now," Kai explained.  
"Well, we'll just keep him locked up then. He'll hate us, but he'll be safe."  
"Alternatively," Leora suggested. "We could take him to your bunker."  
Kai pondered the suggestion. "It's a solution for the short term," he eventually spoke, "But it won't work past when he starts to form memories. It'll be too much of a shock for me to teach him about humanity, only for him to go out and realize that we're all but gone."  
"What is the alternative?"  
"I'm sure it exists, I just don't see it yet."  
Grace gently placed the crib inside of the office, closed the door, and returned to the trio. They sat silent for a very long time. **  
**"Well," Sirius finally spoke, "There is another option. We find another human. Someone who can keep him company. Preferably a group, so he can be with his own kind, but he needs a sense of family. We can teach him about the world, and he won't have to be alone when he goes through it." **  
**"A genius revelation, Sirius," Kai responded, "But I have a feeling that your proposal might be slightly more impossible than the alternatives." **  
**"It doesn't have to be," came a voice from the elevator. Everyone snapped to attention. **  
**"Who are you? How did you get in here?!" Kai demanded. "The elevator didn't ring." **  
**"I took the stairs," the stranger responded. He was tall, well built, and hobbled as he walked. "As for who I am, I'm insulted, Garrett. Would you really not recognize your oldest, perhaps only, friend?" The stranger lowered his hood, showing his face. Scars marked his face and he had a wizened expression about him. His hair was the same ashen color that streaked through Kai's, and his eyes were a brilliant amber. **  
**"Vitya," Kai breathed, speechless.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter took a little longer than anticipated. One more week of classes and then a week of finals, and I'm finally home free. As usual, feel free to leave reviews or PM me if you have questions or want to complain or whatnot. If it's a question, preferably PM since I don't usually reply to reviews. The next chapter is nearly finished, and I should be able to proofread it in a couple of days.**

 **The typos should all be gone, but let me know if they aren't.**


	12. Chapter 12

"So you do remember," Vitya spoke, removing his overcoat and placing it on a nearby table before taking a step forward.  
"Not so fast," Kai interrupted, causing Vitya to stop. "How do I know it's really you?"  
"Who else would I be?"  
"Espionage is a tricky game as I'm sure you know. Prove that you really are Vitya."  
"How would you propose I do that?"  
"Say something only Vitya would know."  
"I died for Ana."  
"And yet you're here, standing before us. Besides, anyone in the medical tent would know that."  
"I forfeited our first and last battle."  
"That little fact is in every history book."  
"I met a traveler from an antique land," Vitya began, pausing at the end of the sentence.  
"Who said two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert," Kai finished. "Where did you learn that phrase?"  
"After we took Saigon."  
"I'll accept it. Your inflection was wrong, but it's been long enough."  
"So this is the mysterious Vitya you've told us so much about," Sirius spoke, walking up and offering his paw.  
"I don't shake," Vitya answered. "Anyways, I have a proposition for you, Garrett, but I imagine you have a lot of questions."  
"You guessed right. Sirius, if you would be so kind as to fetch us tea."  
"I'm not thirsty, actually. In fact, I have a tight schedule to keep as it is."  
"What kind of schedule?"  
"Thus entails my proposition, but I'll let you ask what you wish, first."  
"How did you survive?"  
"That…" Vitya trailed off, rubbing at his neck. "Is a good question. The fact is, I don't know. I woke up in Yukagir. I tried to contact you, but communications lines were down."  
"I suppose shelling a city for a month does that."  
"Indeed, its demolished and desolate nature meant that it avoided any real attention during the nuclear crisis afterward. Unfortunately, the wind blew from the South that year. Nearly everyone died from the radiation poisoning."  
"And you didn't?"  
"I was made with radiation in mind. Others… not so much. I thought I was the last man alive for so long. It took me six months to walk across Siberia to the only bunker I knew of. I spent a long while there, a whole year if I recall until I left to look for other survivors."  
"How many did you find that are still alive?"  
"A good amount were spread around Nepal and Karakalpakstan. I managed to convince most of them to come together."  
"Where?"  
"In due time. I'd like to keep a few secrets if I could."  
"I spent the majority of my life wondering if I was alone in this world, please tell me," Kai urged.  
"That depends on how I feel after our talk."  
"Fine. So you found others, what next?"  
"Not much," Vitya responded, shrugging. "We lived, bred, and survived."  
"Am I to assume you are Jin-Roh, then?"  
"What? No, although he is a most… interesting character."  
"Who is he, really?"  
"I will keep in line with his wishes and not tell."  
"You have to be fucking kidding me," Kai muttered. "Everyone has given me a headache whenever I try to squeeze these answers out of them."  
Vitya couldn't help but chuckle at his frustration. "Don't worry, he is neither ally nor enemy. I tell him where to go, and he takes the fertile men and women with him." He glanced over to Achernar's office where he found the giraffe staring at him. "Why is little Ichiro here of all places, if I might ask?"  
"His mother died of an aneurysm."  
"I see. Well, I'm really here because I heard he was sick."  
"I… wait a minute, how did you know that?"  
"I intercepted a transmission."  
"From whom?"  
"I believe it was you."  
"What led you to listen in on my call?" Kai questioned; Vitya was awkwardly silent, not quite knowing how to answer. "So you knew I was here since you clearly intercepted a call that you claim came from me, and you never bothered to find me?"  
"I was preoccupied with other matters, I'm afraid. My sincerest apologies, Garrett."  
"If I might ask, what did you bring with which to treat the infant?"  
"Rhodocene-dysprosium complex."  
"An antidote for a very rare, very specific poison."  
"Well, I had my suspicions."  
"On what basis?"  
"The symptoms you discussed in your call."  
"Which fit any number of rare poisonings."  
"How did you cure him?"  
"With a whole slew of drugs. Tell me, you were the one who poisoned him, weren't you?"  
Vitya scowled. "A frightening accusation, if I do say. What makes you insinuate my involvement?"  
"A _rare human poison_ suddenly falls into a toddler's diet, and another human, which is a nearly extinct species might I remind you, suddenly comes with the exact chemical to cure him. And to top it all off, this human is an old, well-known friend of mine."  
"Well, what motivation would I have?"  
"I was about to travel elsewhere when I received a sudden call that an infant that I rescued was in danger of dying. You did it to draw me here."  
Vitya sighed. "I suppose I am caught."  
"You-" Sirius began shouting before Kai stopped him.  
"Why? You could have just called."  
"You wouldn't have come back if I just called."  
"Considering my whole quest was centered on finding you, I probably would have. Hell, I'd settle for any other human if it meant I had someone like me to talk to."  
"No matter. No harm would have come to the child."  
"What you did was reckless and stupid!" Kai shouted.  
"But I finally got to meet you after all these years, which leads me to my proposition."  
Kai merely shook his head. "You've changed, Vitya."  
"The world has changed, Garrett. We are a dying race; perhaps ten thousand of us remain, most likely less, and certainly no more."  
"Just get on with it," Kai spat out.  
"We can rebuild, but I need your help."  
"What help of mine do you need that you can't possibly do on your own?"  
"Logistics. You know how to lead. You also know mammals very intimately," he elaborated, glancing at everyone; his gaze lingered on Leora ever so slightly longer than the others. "Meaning you can help us."  
"What are you saying?"  
"Humans being the dominant species, and mammals running society are mutually exclusive."  
"You _dare_ suggest that I turn my back on those who helped me thus far? On my friends and allies?"  
"At this point, you are either a traitor to your kind, or to theirs."  
Kai turned back and glanced at Leora, whose eyes showed fear and concern. Grace had an incredulous expression of insult, while Sirius appeared confused at how the conversation took such a drastic turn. "Fine," Kai eventually answered, much to the shock of everyone around him. "But first, show me your disguise."  
"How can you say that, Garrett?!" Leora nearly shouted, but Kai ignored her.  
"Very well," Vitya responded, transforming into a very dark-furred wolf; his eyes glimmered and became red, and cat-like. He held his hand out as an invitation. Kai slowly approached, reaching a hand behind his back. "I can see the knife, Garrett."  
"This is just so you don't try any funny business, Vitya." Kai clasped his old friend's hand and shook it.  
"I assure you, this business isn't funny at all." Before anyone could react, Vitya drew a concealed handgun and jabbed it into Kai's ribs, getting off three bullets before Kai slapped the gun aside. He drew his knife, slashing across Vitya's chest, but the man was unfazed by the attack and grabbed and twisted Kai's wrist until he dropped the knife. He fired six more bullets into Kai's chest before catching the falling knife and slashing his throat.  
In the time it took the previous events to transpire, Grace finally drew her weapon and opened fire on the adversary; one bullet struck his arm and the second his leg, but Vitya returned fire. Fortunately, he only had one more bullet left in his clip; when the third bullet from Grace's weapon struck him in the hip, his disguise faltered and he began his retreat. The rest of the bullets chased him, but none managed to find their mark before he absconded up the stairs.  
"Garrett!" Leora cried out, rushing to him.  
He clutched his hand around his throat and spoke in a raspy voice: "Lock down a ten-mile perimeter," he choked out. "Call Arcturus, borrow his forces. Do _not_ let him leave the city." He fell forward on the ground, blood quickly pooling around him. "Alert everyone in the Court, and find Rigel." Leora held him very close to her chest and began crying out for Grace or Sirius to do something, but found that Grace was also wounded, and Sirius was tending to her.  
"Go help them!" Grace shouted, applying pressure to her wound. "I'm not hit badly." Sirius was too shocked to react.  
"I…" he muttered, unsure of what to do.  
"Garrett's dying!" Leora shrieked. "Fucking do something!"  
Snapping out of his stupor, Sirius scrambled to Achernar's office and returned with a pack of gauze, whereupon he quickly pressed it against Kai's neck. Their efforts seemed to have some effect, as the bleeding quickly stanched and eventually stopped altogether. By the time the gauze was removed, there was no trace of any injury on his neck at all.  
"What…" Sirius breathed, searching for the wound, unable to find it. "What in God's name?"  
Kai remained supine for a couple of minutes before slowly sitting up, clutching at his chest. Upon closer inspection, none of the bullets pierced his raiment. "I have to complement Serenity for his excellent craftsmanship," he groaned, slowly getting to his feet.  
"He cut your throat, blood was spraying, don't pretend that didn't happen!" Sirius interjected. "How?!"  
"I-" Before he could finish his sentence, Kai's ansible rang, interrupting him, and he answered it.  
"Well, to answer your question Sirius, the structural nanites that help him change form are also good at repairing him," Serenity spoke. "Oh! By the way, don't bother calling for search parties, you'll never find the man you're looking for."  
"Serenity! Why couldn't you warn me this would happen?!"  
"It wouldn't have been any fun that way."  
"Whose side are you on?!" Leora shouted.  
"There are no sides. I merely see the world as it is, and work to preserve it. Believe me, if he was any immediate threat to sentient life, I would kill him in an instant."  
"So what's the plan, then?" Kai asked, going to Grace's side to aid her. "Can you send a fresh pack of gauze?"  
"I don't need to, help is already on the way. If she was human, the bullet would have gone through her heart, but I suppose we're all lucky that your adversary only knows how to kill other men."  
Atria burst through the elevator doors, first aid kit in her hooves. "I got Sirius' call, how bad is it?"  
"I'll be watching, Garrett," Serenity commented, before ending the call.  
"I didn't call," Sirius muttered, quickly leading Atria to the downed wolf.  
"It might have grazed her lung," Kai explained, "But I can't be certain. We need to take her to the hospital."  
"I feel fine," Grace coughed out. "Besides, we have to get search parties, we've got to find him."  
"At this point, we can only follow the trail of evidence," Kai remarked. "We spent too much time tending to our wounds. Still, call Arcturus, see if you can't get his help in this matter. Leora, I trust you and Sirius can get her to the hospital."  
"No hospitals, Garrett," she insisted before turning to the ewe. "Atria, can you treat me here?" Grace questioned, sitting up and leaning against her husband.  
"I… suppose, but it might not be adequate," the ewe responded.  
"Fine. If I get worse, you have my full permission to take me to a hospital. Leora should go with Garrett."  
"What?" Kai began, upset. "It's dangerous, I can't allow you to come with a good conscience."  
"Then you'll have to let me come with a bad conscience," Leora replied, proceeding to the elevator. Kai rolled his eyes but followed anyways. As he walked, he changed into a wolf; his bloody boot prints transitioned into bloody pawprints until there was no blood left to track. They entered and hit the button for ground level; as soon as the elevator doors closed, Leora tightly hugged him, giving him a quick kiss on his muzzle before whispering, "I thought I lost you."  
"I don't think you physically _can_ lose me anymore, to be honest, kitten."  
"Let's hope so."  
They exited the lift and proceeded through the halls of the Court lodge, eventually coming upon the lobby. There, Rigel was frantically pacing back and forth, oblivious to their presence.  
"You!" Leora shouted, running forward and slamming her first into the doe's face; Rigel fell and slid several feet, crying out in pain.  
"Leora, that's enough!" Kai commanded; she paused just before releasing her follow-up. "Now, Rigel, you have a lot of explaining to do."  
"Look at what the damn cat dragged in," she muttered. This time, Kai kicked her in the ribs.  
"You mysteriously didn't show up, even though you were in the lodge. You slipped Ichiro the poison, didn't you?!" he shouted.  
"I'll tell you anything, just please don't hurt me!"  
"Did you, or did you not slip him poison?!"  
"I did! Please, I had no choice!"  
"You had no choice? Don't insult me, Rigel! Who gave you the poison?!"  
"Amier, it was Amier!"  
"Amier?" Kai muttered. "Who is Amier?"  
"I presume he's the one that just killed the human, if you were downstairs you can't have missed him!"  
"I am far from dead, Rigel, I'm merely pissed."  
"W-what?" she spoke, voice wavering. "Procyon? You're alive?"  
"His ploy might have worked a week ago when I was still mortal."  
"What are you…" She trailed off, giving a strange expression akin to relief.  
"Answer me! What was your motivation, Rigel? Why are you working for him?"  
"You're still alive!" she exclaimed, expressing relief, finally coming out of her short daze. "I need your help!"  
"Why would I have any inclination to help you after what you did?"  
"Please! He threatened me, I had no choice!"  
"Why should I believe you?"  
"You have no reason to, but please, I implore you! You must help me!"  
"It's a trap, Garrett."  
"Perhaps, but the least I can do it humor her before I kill her."  
"Kill… me?" Rigel squeaked.  
"Surely you knew there would be consequences to these ridiculous actions of yours.."  
"Wait! If you kill me, you'll never hear my story!"  
"What is there to hear?"  
"Follow me and I'll tell you."  
"Follow you where, exactly?"  
"My home. My husband and I need your protection."  
"Very well, I shall humor you and hear what you have to say; then, I'll decide whether or not you deserve protection."  
Rigel groaned but knew she had no choice in the matter. She slowly picked herself up, stumbling slightly in the process, before falling onto Leora; she nearly threw the doe off, but figured better than to do so, instead opting to help her to the door. Sirius' chauffeur was parked down the hill and seemed to be enamored with his phone. Kai lightly knocked on the passenger side window, but still frightening the lithe lion behind the wheel.  
"Sorry to trouble you so soon, but would you mind driving us around?"  
"What about the senator?"  
"He'll be a while."  
The lion shrugged and unlocked the doors, letting them in. Rigel spoke an address and the driver set out; the entire ride, Kai and Leora's eyes were fixed upon her, but she ignored their gazes. Soon, they pulled up before a stately house in the corner of the Meadowlands; it was the only house on the long and winding street, and its driveway extended a good distance. The trio exited the car before pausing out front. The front door was ajar and one of the windows adjacent to it was shattered. Alarmed, Rigel rushed through, despite Kai and Leora's insistence that she stay. Kai raced in after her and followed her up a set of blood-stained stairs, at the top of which they found a bespectacled buck lying prone with Kai's knife stuck and twisted in his kidney. He was whimpering in a relatively large pool of blood.  
"Jacques!" Rigel cried out, applying pressure to the wound; the act only served to greatly pain the buck. Kai scavenged the desk from the next room and found a package of lead for a mechanical pencil; using a paperclip, he bound them around a pencil before breaking the desk lamp; he touched the wire leads from the lamp to either end of the lead, causing it to nearly immediately glow red hot. He pushed Rigel aside, pulled the knife from her husband's back, and prodded the graphite to the wound. He roared in agony, but the bleeding stopped.  
"Now, Rigel, you tell us your motivations." Kai tossed his makeshift implement to the floor, where it scorched the rug.  
"Who is Rigel? Ena, what is he talking about?" the stag moaned, curling up into a ball and clutching at his hip.  
"I assumed you would have told your husband," Kai muttered, shaking his head in disapproval.  
"Just give me five minutes!" Rigel shouted, turning her attention to her husband. "Jacques, what happened?"  
"Some… Some monster broke in. It shouted about the medicine cabinet and brandished a knife. The second I pointed in the right direction, it ran me through and continued to the dining room."  
"Where did he go?"  
"I heard the back window break. Other than that…" He cried out as he shifted in the wrong direction, falling back to the ground. "Other than that, I don't know."  
"That was precisely the information I was looking for," Kai spoke, cleaning and sheathing his knife.  
"What do you mean?" Rigel questioned.  
"Come, Leora."  
"Wait, don't leave us!"  
"Why not?" Kai questioned bitterly. It's the least you deserve."  
"Please, Amier did this with no real effort, what's to stop him from coming back?"  
"Amier?" Jacques muttered. "Who is this Amier?"  
"Your wife's real employer. He supplied her with plans, and she built cruel bombs."  
"Bombs? Ena, I thought you were head of research at the university, what's this about bombs?"  
Rigel hesitated, and Kai spoke in her stead. "Either you tell him, Rigel, or I do."  
"I can't, not now," she hissed barely audibly.  
"Your wife, Mr…" Kai trailed off as he expected the stag to fill in his name.  
"Just Jacques is fine."  
"Well, Jacques, your wife was directly involved in the attempted coup on the city around four months ago. She was the one creating and supplying the weapons."  
"Ena?" The stag had a mixed expression of worry and confusion in his eyes. Rigel couldn't bear to look.  
"It's all true, I assure you. However, I am interested in her employer." Kai turned to face Rigel. "So, spit it out."  
"I need your word that no harm will come to us," the doe demanded.  
"I'm afraid you're past the point of bargaining, Rigel. I shall decide your fate after you tell me what I seek."  
"No trial? No jury?" Jacques murmured, struggling to sit up.  
"You will not be punished for her misdeeds. However, as far as your wife is concerned, she is on death row, and I am the only one who can grant her stay of execution."  
"So you're going to kill her if she answers in a dissatisfactory manner?" the buck asked, dumbfounded.  
"I already know what she is guilty of. I merely wish to know her reasoning for siding as she did."  
"This is hardly a fair manner of judging her character."  
"And you're such a fair judge."  
"I've known her for fifteen years. I've been married to her for almost ten. What right do you have to say that she is a criminal?!"  
"You've married a facade, Jacques. Do you really think she cares about her position in the university? Do you honestly think she gives a damn about academia or the Hippocratic oath? Are you really so naive as to believe that she cares about you in the slightest?"  
"How dare you!" he shouted, shortly clutching at his back and wailing in pain.  
"Why else would she be so quiet?!" Kai yelled.  
The stag glanced to his wife. "Ena, tell me he's lying," he pleaded. She closed her eyes and sobbed. "Please, tell me he's lying!"  
"I do love you," she promised, hugging him tightly. "But… I really am a criminal."  
"Why?"  
"Amier approached me shortly before Garrett left for Sagarmatha. He told me I could either do as he commanded, or he would kill you. I couldn't lose you."  
"What did he offer?" Kai questioned, cutting off Jacques just before he could speak.  
"It isn't enough that he threatened to kill me and my family?"  
"No. I know you, you're stubborn as all hell, surely enough to deny even him. He had to have offered something."  
"He promised that…" She glanced at Jacques, who listened intently to her tale. "Garrett, I'm not sure I should be discussing these matters in front of him."  
"The Court is the least of your concerns. Speak, now."  
She sighed. "He promised that humanity would rule the world again and that anyone who helped would be rewarded handsomely. Anyone who didn't would be swept away in a heartbeat."  
Kai laughed. "He thinks he's Roko's Basilisk. No matter; how did you come across the plans for building a nuclear weapon?"  
"Amier provided them for me. The fission trigger was rather easy to figure out, but he had external contractors provide an isotope of lithium. I didn't realize its purpose until I remembered you mention weaponized fusion."  
"And the separated plutonium?"  
"It was rather easy. With the university's research budget, we put together a neutron reactor and several thousand uranium centrifuges. Before you ask, they were destroyed by a researcher who discovered what they were really for, but not before we built six working units."  
"Where is this brave soul?"  
"Jack had him executed. Well, Amier did, but he had Jack do it."  
"That brings me to my final question: how did Jack get involved?"  
"Well…" Rigel's voice quieted until it was inaudible. "I can't say for certain."  
"But you know where he is."  
"You already know where he is, as well. You wouldn't be asking me if you didn't."  
"I suppose I should just ask him myself." Kai started down the stairs before Rigel called out to him  
"Where are you going?!"  
"I'm leaving."  
"What about us?"  
"What _about_ you?"  
"Please, you can't just leave us here, he'll return and kill us!" she pleaded.  
"It's not really my problem, but what sort of man would I be if I didn't give you a fair trial with a jury of your peers?" He pulled his phone out and dialed Grace, putting the call on speaker. "Grace, where are you?"  
"Ian insisted on taking me to the hospital, what a pansy."  
"He's your husband, he cares for you."  
"I know, but…" There was a rather lengthy pause. "I'm not certain, actually. I forgot what I was going to say."  
"Blood loss does that."  
"There a reason you called?" Grace inquired; there was a brief argument on her end, but she repeated her question.  
"What's the fastest you can get agents to Rigel's home?"  
"Why?"  
"She wants protection. I'm fairly certain there's no place like ZSS headquarters to hold a domestic terrorist."  
Grace laughed. "Love it. Listen, I'm starting to see things, so I'll have Ian make the call." There was another brief argument. "Well, the doctors say they'll have to put me out for surgery, so I'll also have him type a memo."  
"What for?"  
"I feel that ZBI's Agent Sinclaw should be capable of managing my agency until such time that I feel better."  
"You're placing me in charge?" Kai inquired, pondering for a moment. "So be it, place those calls. I'll speak with you later."  
"Ciao." Kai hung up before turning to face the other mammals.  
"Leora, I expect you to watch over them until the agents arrive." He pulled a badge from his pocket and gave it to her.  
"ZBI Agent Leora? That's a step up from parking duty."  
"Bogo puts you on parking duty? Remind me to _really_ hit him again."  
"Are you sure I can't come with you?"  
"I couldn't leave public enemy number three without adequate supervision."  
"Three?" Rigel questioned. "Who are the other two?"  
"I think ZBI keeps a list of several dozens."  
"You mean to say that _you_ keep a list. Who are the other two?" she repeated, more annoyed than before.  
"Jack Savage is number two, and our dear friend Vitya is number one."  
"If the world finds out that Jack is loose, they'll eat you alive."  
He looked back at Rigel, spitting out, "And I know who I'll blame," before proceeding down the stairs.  
"Wait, Garrett," Leora called out. Kai glanced back up to her. "Where are you going?"  
"I need to find Vitya. I also think it's apt I paid my respects to Dawn Bellwether."  
"Bellwether?" Jacques muttered. "The criminal Bellwether?"  
"She's dead."  
"Good riddance."  
"Believe what you will. I choose to believe that she changed." Kai left through the broken back door, but the trail faded not twenty meters into the woods. He shook his head but proceeded through regardless. As soon as he was sure he was out of sight, he transmogrified into a cheetah and set off for the small village in which the ewe took residence.

* * *

 **Eighty Miles Outside of Zootopia**

Jack woke up in shock; he could hardly breathe, and everything around him was obscured by darkness. He quickly realized he was in a relatively collapsed burrow in the ground. As quickly as he could, he dug himself out and brushed himself off, wondering how he ended up there, to begin with. The rabbit glanced around and realized that he was in the forest roughly two miles out from his home. He often walked through these woods, and they were one of the few features he could still recognize.  
He took one step before collapsing; his leg was in excruciating pain. Upon closer inspection, there was still a sizable branch protruding through his shin, which left his fur matted with blood. As best as possible, he fashioned himself a crutch from a fallen branch and proceeded into town, towards his home and his family.  
Although he felt faint, he did his best to stay on the path; he soon understood that he would need medical attention, and fast. The two miles were traversed in agony, but he eventually reached the bottom of the hill upon which his home stood. However, as he looked up expecting the stately manor, he saw only ruins. Again, he attempted to race up the hill, but could not muster a pace faster than a crawl. He could also make out the faint silhouettes of larger mammals walking about. He tried to call out, but his throat only allowed him to squeak; he was quite parched. He continued crawling, desperate to garner their attention. As he got within hearing distance, he overheard one of their radios: "If you see the rabbit, you have permission to shoot on sight."  
"Shoot on sight?" Jack muttered to himself, barely more than a whisper, but enough to set the idea that these mammals were clearly not his allies. As much as he needed water and first aid, it was quite apparent he would find none from them. Jack reluctantly crawled back down the hill and off in a different direction, eventually reaching a small lake, well-hidden in the woods. On the unusually warm days of spring in the past few months, they would oft swim at this lake; he suspected no one else knew of the site, as they never found anyone else there. He figured it would be safe for the time being.  
Jack hobbled up to the water and cupped his paws, scooping and bringing some of the precious fluid to his lips. He greedily drank numerous pawfuls until his thirst was slaked, before undressing and washing both his fur and his clothing free of the blood and dirt that caked them. The entire time, he could only worry about Dawn; why were the mysterious mammals there? What business did they have in his home? Were Dawn and Otis alright?  
The numerous questions only served to give him a headache, which combined with the cold water, did little to improve his mood. He stepped out of the lake, careful not to run through the mud, and shook himself dry before putting his still slightly damp clothing back on. Once he was fully dry, he perched upon a small rock at the edge of the lake, deep in thought.  
"Jack?" someone spoke from behind him cautiously. Startled, he nearly leaped into the lake, but his injured leg prevented him from making any significant distance.  
"Stay away!" Jack shouted, picking up a nearby stick and brandishing it. The mammal who spoke walked into the clearing, and the dying rays of sunlight illuminated his face: he was a wolf; not a monster, just an ordinary wolf.  
"I'm not going to hurt you."  
"The last mammal to make that promise-"  
"I'm not with the ZSS if that's what you're asking."  
"ZSS?"  
"I presume you noticed the mammals stalking through your home, yes?"  
"I did, they've got Dawn and-"  
"Jack, they're dead," the stranger interrupted, taking a seat on another rock several paces from him. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."  
"Dead?" The revelation seemed to have no effect on the rabbit. "Why?"  
"I was hoping you could tell me."  
Jack opened his mouth to speak but realized he did not know. "I can't remember."  
"What do you remember?"  
"I…" Jack once more trailed off.  
"What is your name?"  
"Jack."  
"How about your family?"  
"Dawn and Otis."  
"Very good. Now, let's try something a little harder; how about your surname?"  
He spent a long time trying to remember and eventually cried out in frustration. "Damnit! Damn this amnesia, I can't remember anything!"  
"What's the earliest you can remember?"  
"I don't know when it was, but I was sitting on this rock here with Otis. Dawn was swimming, and we were about to eat."  
"Do you remember anything about a strange wolf visiting you this morning?" the stranger inquired, glancing out to the lake.  
"That sounds familiar, but… I don't know." Jack watched as the stranger pulled a small box from inside of his coat. "What's that?"  
"Leora will kill me if she found out I did this. Tell me, Jack, how would you like to remember?"  
"You can fix me with the contents of that small box?" Jack laughed. "I've seen at least a dozen neurologists, and nothing!"  
"If I am correct, this should cure you right up."  
Jack merely shrugged. "I suppose it's worth a try; how long will it take to work?"  
"Probably in a few minutes."  
"... Who are you?"  
"If I told you now, you would probably forget it in five minutes. That's why I'm offering this: accept, and I'll tell you anything you wish to know."  
"And if I refuse?"  
"I'll leave. Granted, with an injury like that you'll probably contract septicemia, and after drinking lake water, you'll be lucky to be alive in a week's time."  
"So it's either die or go with you?"  
"The choice is yours, Jack, I won't force you one way or the other."  
Jack gave it a moment's thought before providing his answer. "Fine. Going from no options to one option still isn't a choice," Jack muttered. The stranger opened up the case and withdrew a vial and a syringe; he filled the syringe and tapped it to remove the air bubbles. "Wait, aren't you going to disinfect before you put that needle into me?"  
"I already have to treat you for blood poisoning from that wound of yours, so I might as well just get this over with quickly." He gently took Jack's arm, rolled the sleeve up, found a vein, and injected the substance. At first, it seemed to have no effect, but soon, Jack developed a horrible headache. The longer he tried to bear the pain, the worse it hurt, until he fell to the ground, unable to think let alone act. Memories returned so suddenly and violently that they caught him by shock: his name, who he was, what he did… Skye. After what felt like an hour to the rabbit, but could scarcely have been more than ten minutes, the pain died down, and the wolf helped him back up.  
"I… remember," Jack muttered, looking up to meet the wolf's steel gaze.  
"Welcome back to the world of the living, Agent Savage."  
"Now, who are you?" the rabbit queried, taking a seat on the rock.  
"The _real_ Agent Sinclaw."  
"I always wondered where that name came from. I suppose it's only natural that he stole it."  
The wolf shrugged before lifting Jack off of the ground. "Let's go. We have much lost time to make up," he spoke.  
"Where are we going?"  
"To get your leg treated." He began walking, but soon stopped and stuffed Jack into a pocket on the inside of his coat. "Oh, and if anyone asks, you're not Jack Savage."  
"Why not?"  
"You're a war criminal. The ZSS has orders to shoot on sight."  
"So I heard." He bobbed idly in the wolf's pocket as they descended the hill. "Speaking of ZSS… Who's in charge?"  
"You remember Grace, right?"  
"Director Lyka has a nice ring to it. How is she?"  
"It's Director Cynewulf, now."  
"She married Sirius?"  
"That she did. Unfortunately, she was shot this morning. She'll live, but we have to find the perpetrator; namely, the man named Vitya. You might know him as 'Amier'."  
"Amier." Jack snarled in disgust. "That bastard will get what's coming to him, mark my words."  
"Jack, you're in no condition whatsoever to make threats. Now, I must ask, what can you tell me about him?"  
"Maybe when you get me to a hospital." The rabbit went silent for a few moments, before inquiring, "Actually, may I ask you a few questions? I have a lot of catching up to do."  
"Very well. We're about an hour out. Ask away."  
"How is Officer Hopps?"  
"She's married to Nicholas Wilde and I believe both are well. I don't, however, know if she officially took his surname or not. In fact, they have kits on the way. A daughter and a son, if I'm not mistaken."  
"She's pregnant with Nick's kits?"  
"They're due any week now."  
"How?" Jack questioned, shocked. "It's biologically impossible for a rabbit and a fox to have offspring. Believe me, I would know."  
"Alone? Perhaps. However, they know a guy," the wolf remarked smirking ever so slightly, which the rabbit didn't notice.  
"... After what I've seen, not much surprises me anymore."  
The wolf couldn't help but smile. "What other questions do you have?"  
"How's Sirius?"  
"Alive. He's also still blind in one eye."  
"Blind?"  
"You gouged it out with a pocket knife, surely you remember."  
The rabbit shook his head. "What about Arcturus?"  
"In Japan right now. Honshu, rather. He's dealing with the fallout of your coup."  
"Coup?"  
"You're joking. It was international news for a month."  
"I suppose my memory still hasn't returned."  
"I doubt that's it."  
"Why do you say that?"  
"That serum I administered was created by someone tantamount to God. He wouldn't make a mistake that simple."  
"God?"  
"I'll explain later. Keep the questions coming, unless you no longer have any."  
"You appear to know the details of the Court. Who are you?"  
"I'm not officially a member. I keep tabs on a few high profile mammals, most of which are members, but I don't have a name."  
"ZBI has that much power?"  
"It does."  
"Where is Procyon?"  
"There is no current Procyon."  
"Did he die?" Jack asked nervously.  
"No, he just moved on."  
"Moved on where?"  
"Looking for the rest of his kind."  
"I just wish I had a chance to warn him about Amier before he left."  
"Warn him? I was under the impression that you worked for him."  
Jack scoffed. "Why would I work for him?"  
"Why did you?"  
"I would never work for Amier, why are you…" Jack's train of thought wandered as more of his lost memories slowly returned. His expression shifted from one of contempt to one of confusion, then to shock, and finally settling on anger. "That fucking doe! I knew I shouldn't have trusted Rigel! They did something to me!" He continued rambling, but his words became unintelligible.  
"Don't worry, Rigel is pending charges for domestic terrorism."  
"I hope she gets the rope."  
"Zootopian law prevents the death penalty for mothers, expectant or otherwise."  
"I'll talk to Sirius and see if-"  
"You must not contact anyone from the Court. As far as the world is concerned, you are the criminal and not her. If I had to wager a guess, they'd all rather see you dead than alive."  
"I'll have my vengeance," he growled, curling up in the wolf's pocket and falling silent. After several minutes of walking, the wolf made it to the nearby small village. There, he hired a cab and had its driver take them to seemingly the middle of nowhere. Kai waited for the taxi to fade into the distance before going on his way. They trekked up the mountains, before stopping on one of the slopes, seemingly at random. The wolf opened a large yet hidden door and entered closing it behind them.  
"Tell me, Jack, can rabbits survive a drop from terminal velocity?"  
"Theoretically yes, but not on this leg, if that's what you're suggesting."  
"Excellent." The wolf withdrew the rabbit from his pocket, held him tightly against his chest, and leaped the balustrade.  
"Are you insane?!" Jack shouted, struggling against the wolf's grip. In response, the wolf let him go; he drifted to and fro, tumbling head over heels through the air wildly. The wolf laughed before reeling him back in. Seconds before they hit the ground, the wolf inverted and landed on his legs. Although the landing jolted Jack suddenly, he was uninjured.  
"What the hell is your problem?!" Jack demanded to know. "Put me down!"  
"We're almost there. I jumped because it's the fastest way down."  
"And you didn't splatter?"  
"ZBI has access to some rather interesting tech."  
"As interesting as that… display was, I'll have to see it to believe it." The rabbit glanced around. "What is this place?"  
"Home," the wolf answered plainly, taking an immediate left into a large room that closely resembled an emergency room. He set Jack onto a bed and wheeled over several machines and carts. The wolf scavenged an open drawer and eventually returned with another vial of medicine, which Jack discerned to be a sedative by its label.  
"Don't put me under if you don't have to," he requested.  
"Very well." The wolf set the medicine back in its rightful place. "In that case, I need you to not freak out."  
"Why would I do that?"  
"Because Jack…" The wolf slowly transformed into a man. "The world is a stranger place than you think."  
"Procyon?"  
"Please, call me Garrett."  
"I don't understand, why aren't you mad at me? You told me that everyone I know hates me because they think I attempted a coup."  
"Don't get it mixed up, I am mad. However, you've suffered enough, you don't need me lecturing you as well." Kai wheeled another machine over. "You need to disrobe so that I can take radiographs."  
As careful as Jack could, he removed his pants one leg at a time, gingerly sliding them past the piece of wood in his shin. He removed the rest of his apparel and neatly folded it, setting it on the nearby table. "No contrast, right?" he inquired.  
"No, although I must admit, you undressed with fewer qualms than any mammal I've ever seen. Ironic, considering mammals wore no clothing for millions of years."  
"What else would I do? I don't want to die of toxic shock. Besides, I've been in ZSS for years. I've seen and been seen by just about everyone who works there, and I've heard every insult there is."  
"Barbarians," Kai commented, putting in an IV line. He started up the x-ray machine and made several plates, scrutinizing them under bright light.  
"How bad?"  
"Almost all of your ribs are cracked, many of which are detached, and your ankle is broken."  
"Damnit. How long until I'm back up and running?"  
"That depends. How much pain would you like to feel?"  
"Preferably not too much."  
"Panacea can fix you in about half an hour. Alternative drugs would take a couple of days, although with reduced pain.."  
"I can live for half an hour."  
"Suit yourself." Kai yanked the stick out in one deft motion, causing Jack to shout in pain. He bandaged the wound and held it still, before applying a splint to the rabbit's ankle and binding his chest with compression wrap. "Shall I leave?" Kai queried.  
"No, stay," Jack insisted. "I haven't had familiar company in… what's the day?"  
"I forget. Almost April."  
"What year?"  
"Twenty-twenty, I think. Why do you ask?"  
"The last thing I actually remember is mid-November."  
"I should probably give you a head CT."  
"No MRI?"  
"The serum might be magnetic. I'd rather perform the safer procedure." He attached the panacea to the IV line and the crimson fluid slowly went down the tube. "I know you want familiar company, but I'm not sure I qualify as such, Jack."  
"The last encounter I remember is the fiasco with Regulus." The panacea entered his veins and he yelped, clutching at the sheets. After several moments, he continued. "Speaking of which, where is he?"  
"He died," Kai answered, fiddling with several dials on one of the nearby monitors.  
"How?"  
"It's quite the story. To summarize, he led me to believe that he stole my drugs for his own research. I injected him with rabies, and… well, he jumped from the medical tower in Mapleton."  
"What an idiot."  
"He splattered an entire crowd at the bottom. Arcturus and I had no choice but to destroy the city."  
"How many casualties?"  
"Everyone in Mapleton was killed."  
"Did they suffer?"  
"No."  
"I suppose I can take some relief in that." Jack cried out and tried to clutch at his shin but Kai stopped him.  
"You mustn't move."  
"How long has it been?" Jack asked through gritted teeth.  
"About six minutes."  
"Cool, I'm a fifth of the way done," he hissed, forcing himself to stay still. "Tell me a story."  
"How about the fable of the tortoise and the hare?"  
"On second thought, don't."  
"Are you sure? I don't think you can withstand half an hour of _that_ without at least some distraction. It will only get worse from here on out."  
"Fine, tell me about…" Jack thought for a moment. "This supposed coup."  
"After I left for Sagarmatha, I made it into the mountains before I got a frantic call from Sirius who claimed that you had arrested nearly half of the Court. He went into hiding in the countryside, and I told him to sit still and not fight if you came for him. Of course, knowing Sirius, he's an idiot. He shot at you and you gouged his eye out before taking him in. I had nearly reached Leora and company before you sent a cruise missile. The only reason it missed its mark is because of a stroke of luck involving old military tech."  
"Who was injured?"  
"Officer Hopps and her fiance were nearly killed. In fact, you had her brought back to Zootopia where you interrogated and tortured her. You faked the symptoms of an incurable disease and video called the prison in an attempt to force the new Regulus to give up a cure for your mystery illness."  
"That… that can't be right," Jack insisted, clutching at his chest. "I wouldn't do that!"  
"Afterwards, you were nearly killed along with Betelgeuse when you tried dismantling the same piece of tech that saved them in the mountains."  
"Bee is dead?"  
"Vaporized by an antimatter annihilation. It was right about then that I returned to negotiate the freedom of everyone you had imprisoned. You collapsed and nearly died, but I brought along the right medicine to get you kicking again."  
"I remember that! I…" A look of despair filled his eyes. "Tell me I didn't shoot Grace."  
"You did, with plutonium munitions no less. In fact, were it not for my presence, she would have died."  
"I don't understand, that one moment when I opened my eyes again was full of clarity, but every second that passed just clouded my mind."  
"I'm sure it did."  
"Please, you have to believe me! I would never have done it knowingly!"  
"Then why did you do it, Jack?"  
The rabbit sat up, taking several deep breaths before avoiding the question. "I'm good for that CT scan if you are."  
"It doesn't hurt?"  
"Not as much anymore."  
Kai carried the rabbit to the other end of the room, where he placed him into a rather large machine. "Why did you do it, Jack?"  
"I don't know! I wasn't even aware that I did it until just now."  
"Rigel insists that you were spearheading the whole operation, just beneath Amier."  
"Rigel," Jack growled. "I was approached by Amier in late November, just before you left for Sagarmatha. He insisted that, with the Court's resident human gone, everything would be easier."  
"He knew about me back then?"  
"Of course he knew you were human, but I doubt he knew your identity. Either way, I don't think he was willing to take the risk. I wanted no part of his plan, and he left. For a few days, everything was fine, until Rigel wanted to see me. Of course, I invited her into my home as would any courteous host. She tried to convince me to follow Amier's plan, and told me of 'fabulous riches'. I told her I wasn't interested in such matters, whereupon she asked if she could trouble me for some coffee. Naturally, I went, but right as I set the pot, I…" Jack stopped to think, muttering to himself over and over, "What happened?" Eventually, he gave up. "It's all too hazy. I can't remember."  
"Hold still," Kai instructed. He ran the machine and looked at the screen.  
"I'm not lying," Jack insisted, practically pleading.  
The man sighed. "I believe you." Kai rotated the computer screen.  
"What am I looking at?"  
"Nothing, which confirms my suspicions. Your brain is perfectly healthy: you can retrieve every memory, which means you merely didn't form memories."  
"Head trauma?"  
"Unless you slipped when you were making coffee, and your skull became heavy enough to actually get injured from that height, you were drugged."  
"There isn't a drug that can cause amnesia for four months without any permanent and debilitating side effects."  
"What makes you so sure?"  
"I'm ZSS, it's my job to know."  
"After everything you've seen, you can't even imagine the possibility that we have advanced medicine? There just doesn't exist a drug _yet_. For you, at least. For Amier, however, I'm sure it's no more than an hour's work…"  
"That-" Jack nearly sat up but Kai held him down.  
"Half an hour means half an hour. Try not to move."  
"What's our plan?"  
"Our?" Kai raised a brow.  
"If there's anyone here who deserves the satisfaction of killing him, it's me."  
"You're in no condition to move, let alone fight."  
"You said half an hour?"  
"Half an hour until your bones set. It will probably be another week until you're back to normal."  
"So I have another twenty minutes until I can walk, fantastic."  
"Are you hungry?"  
"Why do you ask?" Jack inquired skeptically.  
"I figure I'd be hospitable. I can figure out what to do with you later. Besides, you look hungry."  
Thoughts of food caused his stomach to rumble in need; it wasn't until Kai mentioned hunger that he realized just how hungry he actually was. Jack nodded his head. "I could eat. Just… not turnips. I can't stand turnips."  
"I'm sure I'll find something," Kai responded, standing to fetch the rabbit some much-needed food.  
"Before you go," Jack interrupted, "I have to ask: why did you even save me?"  
"I wanted to know more about Amier, but it appears you don't know much at all."  
"I know nothing I will say can undo anything that I have done, so I want my actions to speak louder than my words. Please, give me a chance."  
Kai scrutinized Jack, as though he were trying to find some hint of the rabbit's intentions, but found nothing amiss; he sighed. "Alright. We need a plan."

* * *

 **A/N: I know what you're all thinking: if he's that invincible, how does anything pose a threat? Worry not, it'll all become apparent by the end. It won't save him and Leora anyways; where there is death, there will always be death.**

 **As usual, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to ask.** **Muahaha.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thirty Minutes Later**

Kai returned to the dining hall with several papers in hand; Jack was in the exact same position in the exact same spot, as though he hadn't so much as twitched in the twenty minutes he sat there. The food before him was now cold and still uneaten.  
"You need to eat," Kai insisted.  
"I'm not hungry," the rabbit responded plainly.  
"Yes you are, do you want to know how I can tell?"  
"Not particularly, but sure."  
"You're staring at the soup like you want to eat it, yet you aren't eating it."  
The rabbit gave him a crazy glare. "Absolute genius, you are." He sighed, stirring the soup with his spoon. "To be honest, I don't like carrots much either."  
"And you waited this long to tell me?" With a long exhale, Kai took the soup and threw it away. "Fine, what do you feel like eating?"  
"I can wait until after you show me your plan."  
"Well, I was going to eat, first."  
"Just take me with you then, I'm sure I'll find something interesting."  
Kai perched the rabbit upon his shoulder and proceeded into the storeroom. There, he mindlessly grabbed a dish from one of the numerous shelves and placed it into a machine before parading Jack around in search for something else.  
"I don't recognize any of these words," Jack spoke, staring at the labels.  
"Everything on these shelves has meat. Those words are just abbreviations." They continued down the aisle for nearly a full minute before Jack stopped him.  
"I'll settle for a bowl of oatmeal. Maybe some fruit."  
"I figured you'd say that." Kai took several paces more and retrieved a small pouch from one of the higher shelves. He returned to the machines and fashioned the pouch into a bowl of oatmeal, before returning to the dining hall with both meals in hand and Jack on his shoulder. He seated the rabbit and gave him his meal before taking a seat himself.  
"Now, your plan?" Jack asked him again.  
"I haven't eaten yet."  
"Every second you wait, Amier slips further and further away," Jack reminded, beginning to thump his foot absentmindedly, showing his obvious impatience and frustration.  
"Calm down Jack, there's no point in chasing a madman if we aren't ready," Kai insisted. "It's late evening, meaning we're both tired. Neither of us has eaten anything substantial all day. As much as I wish to confront him now, we simply aren't even close to being ready." Jack scowled at the man's words. "Seriously, you need lighten up: I don't know where he is now, and finding him alone will be virtually impossible. We'll have a lot more help tomorrow."  
"From whom?"  
"For starters, ZSS."  
"Oh?" Jack stopped thumping his foot and raised a brow, intrigued. "How did you manage that?"  
"On account of being shot, Grace is in no condition to do anything. She's giving me the keys while she's in the hospital."  
"She can't do that without Senate approval."  
"It's a good thing she's married to a senator, then."  
"The Vice Director is going to be pissed."  
"He was already pissed when I replaced you with her."  
Jack paused for a moment. "She's Altair, then?"  
"Indeed she is."  
"I suppose it's for the best," the rabbit spoke quietly. "I need to lay low for a while."  
"Which reminds me, if you couldn't be gray, what color would you be?"  
"Why are you asking that?"  
"I have dyes of all colors. I imagine everyone at ZSS knows what you look like, so not changing your look is quite foolish."  
"You're not planning on bringing me to the _one_ place where I'll be killed on sight, are you?"  
"I'm going, and I don't quite trust you enough to let you wander off on your own, especially without some form of disguise."  
"Look, I don't know what qualifies as a disguise for humans, but dying myself a different color isn't going to fool anyone."  
"Should I shave you instead? Perhaps we could start a new trend?" Kai joked.  
"There's no way I would let you do that to me," Jack responded, shaking his head. "Honestly I'd prefer it if we didn't go at all." As he finished, he slowly died down to a mutter, barely pronouncing the last part.  
"Well, what if you didn't need a disguise?" Kai pondered aloud, glancing at the various maps and charts he brought.  
"I'm not sure I like where you're going with your train of thought."  
"Wait here," Kai spoke suddenly, taking off and heading out of the room.  
"Where are you…" Jack started but didn't bother finishing, instead turning his attention to his food. After seeing the unappetizing meal, he reluctantly began eating small spoonfuls; upon realizing Kai had left his papers, he rotated them around and began inspecting them. Several of the documents were maps, a few were satellite images, and one appeared to be a printed transcript of some sort, but none of the papers were annotated in any way. He finished his oatmeal slowly and stood to stretch, but Kai still hadn't returned. After nearly a half hour of waiting, he left the dining room and began wandering the halls in complete boredom, making sure not to stray too far from any memorable location for fear of getting lost in the labyrinth of twists and turns of the bunker. After some time, he eventually passed what appeared to be a large armory, and inside, found Kai near the back. "Is this what you were working on?" he inquired, approaching the man.  
"Yes," Kai answered succinctly, staring at a fabricator that was working intently.  
"What is that?"  
"A fabricator."  
"Okay?" Jack answered, still puzzled. "Presumably a machine that makes something, but what?"  
"Anything and everything I could think of."  
Jack tried jumping to see what the machine was making, but couldn't get a long enough look to discern what it was. "So what are you making?"  
Just then, the machine dinged; Kai reached in and withdrew a small badge, handing it to the rabbit. "Something better than a disguise," he answered, making his way out of the room. Jack did his best to follow while also trying to inspect the badge.  
"ZBI Agent Savage?" he read from the inscription, puzzled.  
"Congratulations, you are now the highest ranking bunny in the world."  
"How is this supposed to help me in the slightest?" he questioned, going over the badge and inspecting it more closely in his paws.  
"You are now above the law, Agent Savage."  
"Agent, huh. It's kind of weird hearing that word again. But never mind that, ZSS doesn't know that I'm an agent with your branch now."  
"Oh, they do. Grace is sending a memo."  
"Unless you came up with a fantastic lie, everyone is going to hate me regardless. They won't respect a word of her memo."  
"Do not worry about such things, this is why you will be with me. Besides, worst comes to worst, I can get you out," Kai promised. They walked past a room which caught Jack's attention, and he stopped to peek inside. "We really should get as much shut eye as we can."  
"Sure, but what is this place?"  
"The research lab. I mostly use it for storage now, though."  
"Storage... of what, exactly?"  
"Advanced electronics and some prototype weapons, mostly."  
Jack stepped into the room and began looking over some of the various work tables. As he moved his eyes to the small devices lying upon one of the tables, a relatively short chrome cylinder caught his attention. Unable to control his curiosity, he reached over and began inspecting the device; it almost looked like a handle, but instead of an implement there was a hole on one end. "This looks intriguing," he observed.  
Kai chuckled. "Oz was quite the collector."  
"Oz?"  
"An old man I used to know."  
"Alright, but what is this?" Jack began waving the device around through the air as if he could discover its purpose by less-than-elegantly flailing it around.  
"Have you ever seen Star Wars?"  
"I… can't say that I have, no."  
"Do mammals even have Star Wars?" Kai mused, before continuing. "No matter. Oz enjoyed classic cinema, and he especially loved sci-fi since he was a kid. So, when he had adequate funds, he made a working replica of perhaps the most famous movie prop."  
"Working replica?" Jack found a button on the cylinder and pushed it, but nothing happened. "Working or not, it doesn't now."  
"That's because it's fingerprinted for safety. In the end of a long R&D cycle, the miracles of physics triumphed, and…" Kai aimed one of the ends away from them and pushed the button, causing violet plasma to form a blade out of the end of the cylinder roughly a meter in length. "We have this gorgeous piece of science and engineering, but of course, physics being physics, it was dangerous."  
"Meaning?"  
"Running this much current through a plasma matrix creates a magnetic field that incidentally rotates the plasma. The gyroscopic precession is incredibly high, around thirteen thousand Newtons. They warned Oz that he shouldn't personally turn it on since it was force enough to break bones, but he had to see it for himself. The second he clicked the switch, it twisted and broke his wrist, and the blade cut off about half of his kneecap." Kai chuckled again. "It's actually where he got his limp."  
"Just out of curiosity, how much does that cost?"  
"It was a huge research project. The researchers were given the excuse that it was for missile defense of all things. I think he poured close to forty billion dollars into it, officially taking fanboyism to the next level."  
"What can it cut through?"  
"Just about anything, but I don't use it much. The gamma laser is much safer to operate, even though it doesn't have as much cutting power. Although… I suppose this would have been incredibly useful at least once in my past adventures. I don't see the harm in carrying it, who knows when it could come in handy down the line." He turned it off and stowed the device on his belt before giving Jack a brief tour of the rest of the lab; he showed the various supercomputers and other analyzing machines, before heading back for the door.  
"Do you have any cryptographic machines?" Jack inquired.  
"Classical cryptography became obsolete at the end of the twenty-first century after it was discovered that P equals NP. We used quantum-phase ciphers instead."  
"What's the reduction?" Jack asked.  
"It's around eight thousand pages. It was computed by an AI, and takes an interestingly roundabout way."  
"You've read it?"  
"I know the process, yes. Applying it just takes a while." Kai opened the door and ushered the rabbit out. "Go to bed."  
"And you?"  
"I can live off of ten minutes of sleep a night. I still have a few things to finish up."  
"Like your plan?"  
"I'll make a plan tomorrow after ZSS gives me some much-needed information."  
"Then what?"  
"I have to make a few calls." Kai showed him to a rather spacious room with a large bed. "There's a shower and limited archive access if you care to use any of it. I've also taken the liberty of stocking more appropriately sized clothing. Don't stay up too long, we both have a busy day ahead of us."  
"You're starting to sound like my parents."  
"I'm older than them by at least fifty generations." Kai stretched and began walking away. "If you need me, just shout; I'll be around." Kai left the rabbit to his own devices and returned to the dining hall to finish his meal. Afterward, he ascended the stairs to call Grace. The phone rang until it hit voicemail, so he dialed again. This time, it was answered, but by Sirius.  
"Garrett, you have no idea how glad I am that you called."  
"Why?"  
"They put Grace out for surgery and I'm losing my mind. I feel so alone."  
"Don't worry, Ian, the worst of it is over. How is she?"  
"They told me she'll be fine, but she might not be able to perform strenuous activities ever again."  
"Now that she's director, I'm not sure she'll be doing anything more strenuous than rearing a child."  
"Don't even talk about pups right now!" Sirius protested.  
"Speaking of which, How is Ichiro?"  
"He's with Achernar."  
"You left him alone?" Kai questioned, worried. **  
**"Grace and Arcturus have protection detail on the lodge. Either way, I doubt this 'Vitya' of yours is coming back."  
"I sure hope so. Do you by chance know if she filled out the paperwork before they anesthetized her?"  
"Yeah. I don't know why, but I don't think giving one man exclusive control of ZSS and the Zootopian armed forces will end well... Never mind, I'm sure I'm just being paranoid after Jack's shenanigans. It's pending Senate approval, it should be finalized by tomorrow morning."  
"Thank you, Sirius."  
"Whatever keeps us safe," Sirius spoke with a heavy sigh before hanging up. After watching the horizon for several minutes, deep in thought, Kai returned to the lower level of his bunker. When he checked on Jack, he found that the rabbit was sitting and staring intently at the computer terminal, perusing the archives.  
"Is this what you call sleeping?" Kai inquired, amused.  
"This is the first time I've ever had an opportunity like this. It might also be the last," the rabbit stated, not looking away from the screen. "I'm sure you can appreciate my priorities."  
"I can. How about this: do well in the coming weeks, and I'll bring you back. That should provide you the necessary incentive to sleep, no?"  
"I'm not too tired," Jack insisted.  
"You really do feel nothing, don't you?"  
"Is that supposed to mean something?" Jack finally turned to face him, hatred in his eyes.  
"This marks what, the fourth time you've lost someone you love?"  
"Drop it."  
"Even I care at least a little when someone dies."  
"Considering you're single-handedly responsible for the deaths of fourteen billion, I'd imagine I feel worse per life lost than you do."  
Kai laughed. "You do a good job of hiding it, I'm kind of impressed."  
"Why? Just because you're old doesn't mean I'm naive. Don't get me wrong, I care. I'm just not foolish enough to let it affect me emotionally."  
"Sleep on it, Jack. Believe me, it's better to feel than to not."  
"I'd rather function than be a miserable sobbing wreck."  
"You'll understand when you get older. Do as you wish, then."  
"I'm not young, don't treat me like a kit."  
"You are hardly two percent of my age. I have wisdom beyond your years, and you would do well to heed it. Good night, Jack." Kai turned and left the rabbit to his own devices. The next few hours were spent performing menial chores and satellite scans in a vain attempt to find Vitya before he eventually gave up and retired for the night. On his way to his private quarters, he found that Jack was still sitting behind the terminal, although his eyes were now a teary red. Kai felt it was best to leave the rabbit alone and promptly retired to his quarters. **  
**When Kai awoke the following morning, he found that Jack was not in his room; it took several minutes of rather lazy searching to find him in the far corner of the dining hall. He had dark circles beneath bloodshot eyes, and he appeared as though he hadn't slept at all through the night.  
"Jack?" Kai asked, kneeling down to be closer.  
"It's all my fault," the rabbit mumbled.  
"Get up. You need to eat and we need to head out."  
"To what end?"  
"Beg pardon?"  
"All humans ever do is fight, it seems like it's the one thing your species perfected. So what if we kill Amier? There are easily a thousand more that can take his place."  
"Jack-" Kai began, reaching to help the rabbit up.  
"What good have _you_ done for the world?" Jack growled, pushing him away. "You killed your own people, how can I trust you in any way?!"  
"Think about it this way: if it weren't for me, none of this would have existed. Were it not for me you would still just be some dumb bunny shitting in the woods being hunted by foxes." Kai grabbed his arm and helped him up. "Grow up Jack, that was a very long time ago. Believe it or not, our greatest contribution to the world isn't war, it's compassion."  
"Bullshit."  
"People can change if they have the motivation to do so. In my case, the motivation came from you."  
"How so?"  
"When I saw what effect your coup had on the world, especially on Leora, I slowly came to realize that if I didn't change, I would eventually be no different." Kai sat him at a table and returned with food. "The world is a harsh place, Jack. You can either live in denial for the rest of your life, or you can suck it up and do something about it. Eat. We have a busy day, and you can sleep on the drive."  
"Drive?"  
"I'm not walking to ZSS headquarters, are you crazy?"  
Jack buried his face in his paws and rested his chin on the table. "I'm telling you, they'll kill me."  
"Not on my watch. In fact…" Kai retrieved a small, tailored suit, perfectly sized for the rabbit. "I know how much you enjoy suits, so I opted for the bulletproof model." He set the suit down on a clean portion of the table.  
"Most of them are easily three times my size. That suit had better be squish-proof."  
"That's what I'm for, remember? Eat and get dressed. I'll be back shortly."  
"Where are you going?"  
"Getting my charts and equipment."  
"Any chance I can get a gun?" Jack inquired.  
"We'll see. Maybe after you prove your allegiances."  
"Fine." Jack slowly picked apart the plate of assorted vegetables while Kai left to get suited up. He concealed several weapons in his overcoat before pocketing a smaller handgun for the rabbit. He then fetched his maps and other documents, grabbed an assortment of badges and papers, and returned. Jack had just finished adjusting his tie when he looked to the man. "How do I look?" he asked.  
"Like a rabbit in a suit," Kai responded. "Have your badge?"  
Jack flashed the pristine brooch before clipping it to his belt. "Perhaps a disguise would have been smarter than a badge."  
"I have dyes," the man offered again, before handing a cell phone to the rabbit.  
"I'm not keen on dyes, I'm afraid," Jack spoke, stuffing the phone into his pocket. "You had better be good to your word."  
"I am." Kai picked him up, much to his annoyance. "Let's go."  
"I can walk."  
"I'm sure you can. This is faster, though." He became a cheetah and clamped the rabbit in his mouth; Jack shouted and tried to break free, but eventually gave up, allowing himself to be carried up the stairs in a rag doll fashion. When Kai eventually spit him out on the surface, he stood and brushed himself off in disgust.  
"If you didn't slobber on me-" Jack shouted, wiping himself dry with his handkerchief.  
"My apologies." Kai resumed his wolf form and stepped into the sun, momentarily basking in the heat. "Let's go."  
"Go where? We're in the middle of nowhere!"  
"I thought you said you could walk," Kai spoke, poking fun at the rabbit. Jack groaned, but otherwise remained silent. "Don't worry, I'm only joking. I've arranged for a ride."  
"A ride? I hope it's not a taxi."  
"No, it should be a familiar face." They walked to the road and waited for several minutes, before a limo pulled up, driven by Sirius' chauffeur. When the lion rolled the window down and saw Jack, a worried look dawned upon his face.  
"Is that, uh…" he murmured, pointing a finger at the rabbit.  
"Don't worry," Kai insisted, seating Jack in the back and himself taking the passenger seat. "Take us to the new ZSS headquarters." **  
**The lion hesitated momentarily but proceeded without another word. The drive was filled with an awkward silence as the chauffeur kept looking through his rearview mirror at Jack. The rabbit stared back intently. Eventually, the tension was broken when Kai laughed.  
"What's so funny?" Jack grumbled. **  
**"Ease up, you two," he insisted.  
"But Mister Sinclaw-" the lion protested.  
"It's all a big misunderstanding, I assure you. Jack was merely acting on official ZBI business. The devastation he caused is nothing compared to what had been saved."  
"Might I inquire?"  
"I'm afraid it's classified."  
"But you can assure that I'm safe?"  
"With confidence."  
The lion shrugged and resumed driving. Before long, they pulled in front of their destination; Jack and Kai exited onto the street. No one paid them any heed until they entered through the front doors. All business quickly stopped as the mammals in the atrium turned their eyes.  
"I don't think we're welcome here," Jack muttered. Immediately, everyone who had a gun drew it and pointed it at them.  
"Don't move!" they all shouted asynchronously.  
"This is perfectly explainable," Kai began, reaching for his badge. A lone bullet was fired which struck him dead in the chest. The solidified lead fell from his shirt, and Kai retrieved his badge, massaging his chest. "You're lucky that didn't hit my coat. Now, let's start over: ZBI Agent Sinclaw. I assume you've all received a memo by now."  
"Stand aside, Jack Savage is a known fugitive!" a lion officer shouted.  
"This should have been in the memo. He's with me. Stand down."  
"He's… what?" Several of the mammals lowered their weapons, but most still had their aim trained on the rabbit.  
"Lower your weapons. That's an order," he commanded, raising his voice.  
"Order?" A hog in the back laughed, approaching. "Since the director is out on medical leave, that places the vice director in charge." He pointed a thumb at himself. "That would be me."  
"Not without Senate approval." Kai retrieved a folder and handed it over. The hog looked it over and quickly became angry, throwing it to the ground.  
"This is an outrage! She's married to a senator, how is this-"  
"The law stands." Kai kneeled down to look the assistant director in the eye. "Even if it didn't, ZBI is not bound by common law." Kai gave a light growl towards the hog before standing back to his full height. "I'm sure you are all aware of who I am, but just incase some of you are not…" Kai glanced around before proceeding. "I am Sinclaw, head of the Zootopian Bureau of Investigation. Since Director Cynewulf is out on medical leave until further notice, I am taking her role as Lead Director until such time when she can resume her duties. I have been informed of all formalities and assignments currently active at this time. I expect to have an update on my desk no later than tomorrow evening on absolutely everything. Every agent, every assignment, every surveillance tape... everything. That will be all, and if you have any questions or concerns that need my attention, go find your answers elsewhere. Dismissed." **  
**The rest of the officers lowered their weapons and begrudgingly resumed their prior matters. Many of them gave disapproving stares as they passed. Kai looked back at the hog whose face was red with anger, before instructing him, "Now, show me to my office." The hog growled but begrudgingly turned to lead the way. "And, if you could, summon ZBI Agent Leora for me. She should still be here."  
The hog grumbled but did as he was commanded. They entered a rather lavish office, furnished with several pictures of Sirius and a few other wolves. Kai pulled several of the drawers open and began to riffle through them, and found a small portrait in the bottom. It was rather strange in that it featured Jack lying in Grace's lap as she held his ears up. Both of them were in casual clothes, and Jack had a rare smile on his face.  
"What is…" Jack walked over and inspected the portrait. A look of confusion dawned upon his face before slowly being replaced with a mix of sorrow and joy. "She kept it? After all this time?"  
"I suppose you have a place in her heart after all."  
"Or it's possible that she didn't clean out the drawers."  
"Well, the papers all around it are dated from last week. I'd assume it was on purpose."  
"I have to apologize. Can you call her?"  
"She's probably still out from surgery. You wouldn't want her husband picking up on your sad love call, would you? No, Sirius would cause a lot more problems than it's worth. Get behind the desk, I should probably break the news to Leora slowly."  
"News?"  
"She hates you and wants almost nothing more than to see you dead. If she finds out that I used the only cure on you instead of her parents-" The door handle clicked and the door opened. Kai barely managed to hide Jack before Leora stepped in, scowling.  
"Garrett, glad to see you. They treated me like shit here. I guess they don't like being outranked."  
"They're just jealous since they will never reach your rank." **  
**"Damn right." Leora approached and pecked him on the cheek, and he hugged her in return. "So, we need a plan."  
"That we do. Listen, Leora-"  
"I've already talked with SATCOM, they're scouting the area as we speak."  
"Leora-"  
"And before you ask, I've also spoken with Arcturus. He's offering us his limited support in this matter."  
"Leora!" Kai interrupted sternly.  
"I…" Leora trailed off. "What?"  
"There's something I need to tell you."  
"Ok?" Leora said puzzled, "I'm listening."  
"Please forgive me," Kai begged her, "but remember the cure Serenity gave us?"  
"What about it?" She noticed an ear peeking out from beneath the desk. "No. Please no. Tell me you didn't." As she continued pleading, her voice slowly died down to a whisper as tears started forming in her eyes.  
"I'm sorry Leora." Kai helped Jack out of his hiding spot and onto the chair. "I did what I-"  
She slapped him across the face, incidentally raking him with her claws. A spray of blood stained a nearby bookshelf, and a stream of the crimson fluid quickly formed and trickled down his cheek. Jack nearly sprung to action but Kai stopped him.  
"But she-" the rabbit interjected.  
"I deserve this," Kai insisted, massaging his cheek. "I should have told her before."  
"You're fucking right you should have!" she shouted, striking him again. "That was my last chance to talk to, or even fucking see my parents!"  
"You can still see them anytime-" Jack defended, abruptly being cut off.  
"They may look like my parents and sound like my parents, but my parents are gone! Whatever faded memories they have are meaningless now!"  
"Not to them." **  
**"Please, Leora," Kai insisted. "You know I wouldn't do something like this unless I had a good reason."  
"Tell me then. What was your _brilliant_ reason for this?!" she questioned.  
"I suspected he had information about Vitya."  
"What useful information did he give you that Rigel didn't?"  
"He… he didn't know anything."  
"I can't believe you." Streaks of tears began dripping down the sides of her muzzle as her anger subsided and sorrow took over.  
"Everything we know about him is wrong, kitten. You must believe me."  
"Oh really?"  
"The only reason he did anything is that he was drugged into complacency."  
"Why should I believe you?"  
"Because," Jack answered in Kai's stead, "You've seen him use this drug once before, back in Sagarmatha if I'm not mistaken."  
She sneered but relented. Taking a few steps back, she took a moment to compose herself before answering. "Fine. Don't think I'm happy in any way about this, though."  
"I propose we call together a few of my old contacts. I'm sure we can plan better when-"  
"May I ask, who are these old contacts?" Kai asked the rabbit.  
"A few Court members, namely Sirius and Arcturus, as long as they don't want me dead. Also a few agents here, as long as they don't want me dead, either."  
"Well, I guess we won't know until we call them. Sirius probably won't leave Grace's bedside, and Arcturus is in Japan on business. Knowing what everyone in this building thinks of you, I'm certain your contacts will not be of much use."  
"They're trustworthy mammals. Even if they don't get along with me, they'll listen to you."  
"Do they know the truth?"  
"Two of the three, yes."  
"Very well then. Call them in. See if you can't get Sirius, too."  
"I probably shouldn't be the one to make the call," Jack spoke, concerned. "In fact, I thought you just told me not to call him."  
"That was for your sob story of an apology. For actual business, I think quite the opposite. Sirius wouldn't come if I called. But you, on the other hand…"  
Jack pondered for a while. "Fine, but you're calling the other three. They're the associate directors of SATCOM, SIGINT, and Field Operations. Extensions are taped to the phone on the desk." As he walked off to the corner staring at the screen of his cell phone, Kai lifted the receiver and dialed the first extension. After several rings, the phone was answered by a rather gruff voice.  
"Hello?"  
"Are you the director of SATCOM?"  
"Who's calling?"  
"Your temporary boss. I need you in my office.."  
"You mean _Director Cynewulf_ 's office?  
"Does it matter? It's mine until she returns. Call up the directors of SIGINT and Field Ops. You have five minutes."  
"Very well, sir."  
Kai set the phone down into the receiver and looked over to the rabbit; Jack was still staring at his phone screen. "Something the matter, Jack?"  
"I forgot his number. I feel like I'm losing my mind."  
"Speed Dial number seven."  
"Who are the first six?"  
"Two is Arcturus. Four is me. The rest are unbound."  
"Why is Sirius on seven then?"  
"S for Sirius."  
"A for Arcturus, Altair, Aldebaran, Alioth-"  
"Arcturus is bound and I can reach Grace by calling Sirius. As for the rest, I don't really care. I could find their numbers if I wanted."  
Jack rolled his eyes and dialed the number.  
"Yes?" Sirius began in a scratchy voice. It was evident that he didn't sleep much.  
"Ian, we need you for something."  
"Who is this?"  
"Listen, Ian, I know you won't like this, but it's Altair."  
Immediately, Sirius began shouting incomprehensible obscenities until Kai took the phone. "Sirius, this is serious."  
"Ah fuck you… wait, Garrett?"  
"He's back because I brought him back. We need his help."  
"Like hell we do!"  
"Sirius, shut up and get over here. Grace is going to be fine, but unless we find Vitya, a lot more mammals will get injured."  
"I…" Sirius groaned audibly, but eventually composed himself. "Fine. Don't expect me to be happy about this." He hung up, leaving Leora laughing.  
"Seems like you're pissing everyone off today, huh?" she remarked.  
"You know, Leora, if you don't appreciate my tactics, you can dump me."  
"Why would I do that?" she inquired hastily and defensively.  
"If you want I can spare you the trouble and dump you."  
"I'd rather you didn't."  
"Oh, but it would be so easy and convenient. I would no longer have to worry about keeping you safe, you would no longer nag me about coming along…"  
"All is forgiven, love," she insisted quickly, hugging him tightly.  
"Are you sure?"  
"You're such an enabler, Leora," Jack muttered. "And shame on you, Garrett, for taking advantage of a hopeless romantic."  
"Romantic, perhaps, but hopeless?!" she spoke outraged. "At least I'm not so inept that my loved ones die around me."  
"Leora!" Kai reprimanded.  
"No, she's right," Jack responded, barely louder than a whisper. "I alone hold the blame for my friends' deaths."  
"It wasn't you, it was the man that attacked you."  
"I remember that I was stubborn enough to refuse his offer on more than one occasion."  
"When the choice is between life and death and you don't know which is which, you can't blame yourself."  
"Even still, all those years ago, I ventured alone into the jungle, refusing backup. Whose fault is it that Skye died?"  
"Her kidnapper's, of course."  
"Don't give him so much credit. I was the one who shot her." Jack adjusted his tie and sat in a nearby chair. "Although, I suppose I did prevent the world order from collapsing. At least, I like to think that there was meaning in her death." **  
**"Her life had meaning. That's what counts."  
"She died too young. She still had so much more ahead of her."  
There was a knock on the door, which opened to reveal a wolf, a deer, and a cheetah. "You called us?" the latter spoke, giving Jack a dirty glare.  
"I did, yes," Kai answered. "And enough with the glares. Agent Savage is here to help, and I expect you to work with him to the fullest of your abilities."  
"Very well, Mister…"  
"I suppose introductions are in order. I am Agent Sinclaw of the ZBI. You already know Agent Savage, and this is Agent Leora."  
"Associate Director Swift, Field Ops," the cheetah responded.  
"Associate Director Vanagandr, SIGINT," the wolf answered. "Call me Van." **  
**"Keresh, but you can call me Buzz," the deer simply stated.  
"Well then, I suppose I need to give backstory. Jack, which one doesn't know?"  
"Associate Director Keresh," the rabbit supplemented.  
"Know what?" the stag inquired.  
"There is certain information that even ZSS isn't allowed to know," the rabbit elaborated. "Namely, we are not the first to inhabit this Earth."  
"Oh?"  
"But that is beside the point," Kai continued. "You see, I am tracking a fugitive by the name of Vitya, also known by another name, Amier. I have reason to suspect that he has since fled the country and traveled East."  
"East, where?" Swift inquired.  
"In the Tibetan peaks, maybe six hundred miles from Sagarmatha."  
"That deep into the mountains? I don't see how that's in our jurisdiction."  
"It is in mine. How many agents do you already have abroad?"  
"In Sagarmatha, two, but they're already pursuing cases."  
"How soon can you get two more?"  
"We can't. It could take weeks for documentation, presumably time we don't have."  
"Keresh, how many satellites can you pull to surveil the mountains?"  
"Maybe one," the deer responded. "Changing orbits is horribly expensive."  
"Get as many as you can. Funding is no issue."  
"I don't know about you, but our budget isn't that big."  
"I'll send a budget proposal to the Senate. Just see to it that you have constant surveillance."  
"Why is this mammal so important? I fail to see the reason for wasting so many resources."  
"This 'mammal,'" Jack began, unmoving from his corner of the room, "Has the potential to wipe out civilization as we know it."  
"I haven't heard of him until five minutes ago. How much influence could he have possibly accrued?"  
"It's not his influence that worries me," Kai answered. "It's his arsenal."  
"One mammal can't possibly possess such an arsenal."  
Kai slowly began to chuckle, followed by Leora and Jack. "I suppose I can let you in on a secret," Kai continued. "Mapleton wasn't hit by a meteor."  
As the realization dawned upon the three mammals, their expressions twisted into that of shock. **  
**"That's impossible!" Van shouted. "Nothing exists that has that amount of explosive strength." **  
**"Nothing you've invented, but in his arsenal, that was merely a weaker munition. An Intercontinental Ballistic Missile; 'ICBM' for short." **  
**"And what, pray tell, warranted the use of this 'ICBM'?" Swift demanded to know. **  
**"In short, a highly altered strain of rabies was released, purely by... _mistake_." Kai shifted uncomfortably with the last word, before continuing nonetheless. "As it so happened, a vial of infected blood sprayed against hundreds of mammals right as they were scheduled to leave for the day. By our estimates, most lived outside of Mapleton, primarily in such locations as Sahara Square and Tundratown. The rabies strain went airborne immediately, spreading through contact of any sort. It was truly a perfect strain." **  
**"I would not call this perfection," Swift growled out. "I had family there!" **  
**"I'm sorry for your loss," Kai said to the cheetah, "But given half an hour, the entire city would have been infected." **  
**"There was no way to know who was, or who wasn't infected," Swift shot back.  
"Which is precisely why the airstrike was deemed necessary."  
"Surely there was a cure?" **  
**"You don't understand. This virus was so potent that it would kill absolutely in a manner of days. It was also designed to show no symptoms until the final few hours, yet be completely transmissible the entire time." **  
**"If he's here to terrorize the populace then why would he bomb a city guaranteed to wipe out civilization in a matter of weeks?" Van questioned. **  
**"Actually, he wasn't involved with Mapleton." **  
**"What do you mean?" Buzz asked. **  
**"The beginnings of that whole situation are best to be left alone. Just know that it was a horrible accident that could have been easily avoided." Kai glanced over at Jack, who was looking at the floor trying unsuccessfully to hide his anxiety. "I digress, however. The weapon used to level Mapleton was ancient. Hence, one that Amier almost certainly has access to." **  
**"Alright, suppose we choose to believe you," Buzz began, still slightly in dismay. "How do these weapons work? If this qualifies as small, what in God's name qualifies as big?" **  
**"Before I answer that question, I must ask something of you. Tell me, how much do you know of the time before civilization?" Kai asked the trio. **  
**"Well..." Swift muttered, looking at the other two for help. They were also uncertain how to answer. "I know that civilization began nearly two thousand years ago when predators and prey-"  
"Before then," Kai supplemented.  
"I… don't know." **  
**"Go, take a seat, all of you." He motioned for them to sit on the couch. "We have a few things to discuss. Leora, could you please close and lock the door?" **  
**With a simple nod of her head, she locked the office door and stood by it. **  
**After the three got comfortable, Kai seated himself behind the desk. "Where to begin…" he pondered. "Long ago, in a past so distant that I can scarcely remember it, there was only one species that talked and walked upright. The rest were mere savages, incapable of higher thought. This species was humanity. In their time, they were so advanced that they could manipulate life itself. The fabric of spacetime itself was not outside of their reach." Kai almost continued but was interrupted by Buzz laughing. "Pardon me, I must be missing some context. Did I say something funny?" **  
**"You're telling tall tales." Buzz slammed his hoof into the arm of the sofa. "How am I supposed to take you seriously if you're bullshitting me?!" He glanced to the mammals beside him but saw only the serious expressions on their faces. "Come on, you aren't falling for this, are you?" **  
**"Buzz, he's not lying," Van calmly spoke. **  
**"Then how? I demand an explanation!" **  
**"I thought I was giving an explanation," Kai interjected. "If you ask for proof, Is Mapleton not enough?" **  
**"I just found out that an entire city was leveled by a bomb I never knew existed, and now you're saying some godlike race of aliens created it? Sure, I'll admit that the weapon exists, but you'll have to forgive me for not believing you." **  
**"What manner of proof do you seek?"  
"I'll take anything." **  
**"Very well." Kai stood and walked over to the door by Leora. "Darling, do you have your phone?" He held his hand out to receive the device. **  
**"I never leave home without it." She handed it over to him. **  
**"Thank you," he responded, proceeding to the trio on the couch. "In case you're curious, I have photographic evidence." Kai turned the phone on and scrolled through the picture library, stopping at one of himself and Leora on the couch in her apartment. It was supposedly taken without his knowledge, but he merely chose to ignore the fact that she tried to sneak a picture. **  
**He turned the phone and showed the picture to the three mammals. The cheetah and the wolf both shared a mild sense of intrigue at finally seeing a human, but Buzz only shook his head. "You'll need more than a doctored photo to convince me. For fuck's sake, who do you take me for? I'm an assistant director at ZSS, you'd think I'd know how to spot a fake." **  
**"This is a real photo, I assure you." **  
**"I'm still going to need better proof than this," Buzz protested. **  
**"He's telling the truth," Van urged. **  
**"I need to see this 'human' in the flesh before I believe any more of this far-fetched story." **  
**"Depending on how well you listen, I will see if I can arrange something." **  
**"Please do." **  
**With a grunt of disapproval, Kai resumed his explanation. "As time continued, they fought over their differences more and more. War became increasingly common until, in the end, they bombed themselves to near extinction. The change in climate all but ensured their end." **  
**"What kind of climate change?" **  
**"Bombs of a large enough size kick up a lot of fine radioactive dust into the upper atmosphere. If the world was bombed on a global scale, the dust could potentially block out the sun. No sunlight means a nearly eternal winter." **  
**"The long cold," Jack supplemented. Buzz appeared extremely confused. **  
**"If the world was destroyed, how did we come about?" Buzz questioned.  
"Remember when I said they could alter the course of life? Roughly a decade before their last war, they experimented on animals of all sorts. Being mammals themselves, their genetics only adhered to other mammals."  
"And they survived the cold and the radiation?"  
"You have fur for the cold, and smaller mammals tend to be less perturbed by ionizing radiation."  
"And the larger ones? Lions, giraffes, elephants, what about them?"  
"What about them? No nation had any incentive to bomb Africa, the place was already a sweltering hellhole after the end of the twenty-second century. I suppose the lack of a sun would have made it somewhat tolerable."  
"What about her, then?" Buzz asked, pointing to Leora. "She's not a sub-Saharan leopard, she's oriental."  
"First of all, rude," Kai responded. "You can never tell by looks. I knew a Chinaman who looked almost impeccably Korean. Second, I can't say for certain. Good biology, perhaps."  
"You can't blame everything on biology."  
"Well, their meddling with biology is the only reason you are alive now." **  
**Buzz quietly pondered the situation. "Fine, I'll humor you. Let's pretend these 'humans' are real." **  
**"Now then," Kai continued. "As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted, Amier is a dire threat to the world. I have no doubt that he possesses several ballistic missiles and the knowledge to make more. We cannot give him a chance to use them." **  
**"Fair enough, but what is _he_ doing here?" Swift asked, pointing to Jack. **  
**"Given the chance, he would make all of us his pawns," Kai explained. "For you, it would take nothing more than something slipped into your coffee, or in Jack's case, a dart through an open window."  
"And you?"  
"His options are rather limited on Leora, and nonexistent for me. He doesn't possess a drug that we can't metabolize, although I'm sure he has a few that could kill her."  
"What makes you so different from me, or any of us for that matter?" Van inquired. "You're just a mammal. Granted, you have knowledge of the arcane, but you are a mammal nonetheless."  
"He and I are not so different, and he wouldn't synthesize a drug that would work against him. I'm not sure he even could."  
"Yeah, and I suppose this 'Amier' just up and invented drugs that are hundreds of years beyond our…" Swift started, before quickly falling silent. "He 'discovered' tech from humans, didn't he?"  
"Discover isn't the right word."  
"Implying?"  
"Motherfucker!" Buzz exclaimed, connecting the dots. "He's one of these 'humans', isn't he?"  
"I was wondering how long it would take you three," Kai commented, taking a seat behind the desk once more.  
"And if you and he are not so different…" Van began, pausing momentarily to collect his thoughts. "That would make you a human, too."  
"Yeah, and I'm a rabbit like Jack," Buzz interjected. Everyone glared at him. "Hey, it's just as plausible. I mean look at him, he's barely over thirty at best, why am I taking orders from someone younger than me?"  
"He just looks young," Leora elaborated. "He's way older than you."  
"Yeah, no. He's certainly not forty-five."  
"The finer details aren't important," Kai insisted. "I don't care whether you choose to believe me, but I need you to help me find Amier."  
The doorknob rattled, and a knock sounded. "Who is it?" Leora inquired.  
"It's Ian. Open up." He pounded on the door again, and she unlocked and opened it. Immediately, Sirius stepped in and looked around, spotting Jack momentarily. "You."  
"Ian, ease up," Kai spoke. "Jack's here to help."  
"I've seen his 'help'. He's helped enough already," Sirius seethed.  
"Senator?" Van finally mustered the courage to pipe in. "Senator Cyne-"  
"Don't think too deeply into it," Kai interrupted. "Ian, please take a seat. Coffee?"  
"No."  
"Suit yourself. Now that everyone is here, we need to lay down a plan."  
"What is a senator doing here? Isn't this a little over his head?" Buzz questioned.  
"This is a lot over your head already," Kai muttered in response. "Worry about yourself." The deer scowled but otherwise remained silent. "You three, get whatever teams you have and survey the East, particularly near the Tibetan mountain ranges."  
"Which mountains, exactly?"  
"All of the mountains near Sagarmatha Proper."  
"You have to be joking, that's nearly two thousand miles!"  
"And you have two thousand employees in every division of SATCOM across the world. Get them searching."  
"What are we searching for?"  
"Any signs of civilization. Buzz, I want a list of every village or settlement you find, as well as coordinates. Swift, get whatever agents you have in the East surveying major roads. I want to hear about anything suspicious."  
"And me?" Van inquired. "I highly doubt this 'Amier' would be communicating on a channel we could survey. What use will Signal Intelligence be in this operation?"  
"You have access to radar and sonar, do you not?"  
"Radar, yes. However, if you want long-range air-based radar or sonar, your best bet is with the military."  
"You are cleared to use any of their resources, and the cost is no object. Change satellite orbits if you have to. Write up your reports by the time we reconvene in twelve hours."  
"Twelve hours?" Buzz protested. "It takes almost an hour and a half to reboost a satellite, how can you expect me to get constant surveillance in place that quickly?"  
"Your report can be less in depth then. Dismissed."  
The three mammals grumbled and left. "Now," Sirius inquired. "Why am I here?"  
"Because I would like your input on a few matters," Kai explained.  
"Like what?" the wolf asked.  
"Come to think of it, I would prefer it Arcturus was here. Perhaps Regulus as well, but this will have to do."  
"Just get on with it already."  
"Our esteemed fugitive is hiding out in a bunker in the East, this we already know."  
"And you're concerned we won't find him?"  
"No, I'm concerned that the rest of my kind are in there with him."  
"Why is this a problem? Just kill him and-"  
"I am almost certain that he has at least ten nuclear missiles. He probably owns the base, since I doubt he will settle for less, meaning everyone is subservient to him." He waited for input, but Sirius merely watched with intrigue and confusion, prompting him to continue. "If I kill him, one of two things will happen. The first is that the rest of the humans there will flock to new leadership, but this is unlikely, seeing how they've been indoctrinated for years."  
"And the second?"  
"They will work to avenge him. Even with ten missiles, they could kill trillions."  
"You can destroy the missiles, right?" Jack asked. "I thought you had anti-ballistic missiles."  
"They're not entirely reliable. If they were, I doubt any of you would be here, and humanity would probably be living the high life."  
"So destroy them before they can launch them."  
"Missiles are kept in various silos miles below the surface. There is no way I can destroy one without tripping an alarm, and by then they will have launched the rest."  
"What are you getting at?" Leora questioned.  
"This is the hardest decision I have, or probably will ever make. Any damage to the equipment can be fixed in a year at most if we're lucky. The only reliable way to keep the world safe is to destroy the bunker outright."  
"You don't mean…" Leora stopped short, unwilling to consider the possibility.  
"It would be painless," Kai reassured. "A well-placed explosive in the reactor room could destabilize the core and vaporize everything within a ten-kilometer radius. The surrounding lands would be relatively undamaged since neutron deconfinement is limited by local magnetic fields-"  
"You can't be serious!" Sirius interrupted, practically shouting. "You've spent your whole life wondering if there was anyone else, and-"  
"Inside voice, Ian," Jack warned.  
"Oh fuck you!" the wolf continued, before taking a deep breath and quieting down. "Your whole life, and now you'll just kill them all and write it off as collateral damage?! Absolutely not!"  
"Garrett," Leora started, sitting on the arm of the chair and wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "You've become estranged to the rest of your kind because you haven't been around them for the majority of your life. This isn't some decision you can make overnight. You have to give them the benefit of the doubt."  
"Believe me," Kai responded. "I want nothing more than to see mankind come back from what I had wrought upon them. However, every one of you can certainly acknowledge that the world isn't ready for their return. You know the tales, and I can't let that happen to the world again."  
"Give it time."  
"We don't have time. Now that Amier believes that I am dead, he will almost surely make his move soon."  
"Go beat him into the ground and impose martial law, at least until you can return order," Jack offered. "It's not a perfect solution, but you can keep a close eye on however many missiles he has."  
"That would involve killing all of the high-ranking officials."  
"What about keeping them prisoner?" Leora offered.  
"The guards are in their pocket."  
"Our guards aren't," Sirius spoke. "I'm sure Grace can lend a few agents with high clearance to the task."  
Kai folded his hands under his chin and contemplated the proposition. "Let's worry about capturing him, first."

* * *

 **A/N: This might be the longest overdue chapter in the history, and I'm really sorry about that. Truth be told, between IRL troubles and really bad writer's block, I had a hard time getting this chapter up to something that I wasn't ashamed of. In case anyone missed this chapter's pop culture reference (which is just about mathematically impossible) it's Star Wars. Writer's block woohoo. It might also be a Chekov's gun, but only time will tell.**

 **Either way I still think this chapter isn't as good as the rest, but since rumors are starting to fly that I'm dead, and I can't put up a second Author's Note, I figured I might as well cut my losses. I really hope FanFiction displays the chapter correctly this time, the stupid website doesn't want to work.**

 **Edit: And of course it posts as chapter 14. Thanks, FanFiction.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Evening**

Kai leafed through the stacks of photographs that covered the intricately carved desk; not a single square inch of its surface was exposed beneath the tens of thousands of old images. Jack was curled up on one of the couch cushions, catching up on missed sleep, while Leora had pulled up a chair and was resting her head on one of his armrests. He found a strange pleasure in running his fingers through the fur of her nape as though he was a Bond villain.

For the past eight hours, he sifted through the various satellite imagery, searching for even the slightest hint of human civilization. As he expected, he had found no luck, although he was scarcely through half the pile. When he finished the current stack, he set it back onto the desk and stood to pace by the window.

"Come on, Garrett," Leora spoke, yawning widely. "Can't you call it a night? They have interns for a reason."

"Provided that I don't find anything, I still need the evening reports. Then I'll call it."

"How long?"

He checked the clock on the wall, deliberated for a minute, and set the photographs down. "I'll be another couple of hours at least. I need you to run an errand for me; could you to ensure Neal gets released?"

"Neal? Where is he?"

"Tundratown Precinct. Bogo should be overseeing his release."

"What will you be doing?"

"Finishing up here. I'll meet you at the hospital in a while."

"Call me if anything," she spoke, exiting the room and closing the door behind herself. He sat back down and continued looking through the various antiquated photographs; most of them depicted only cloud cover and the few that didn't depict snow. Just by leafing through the stacks, he could tell he would get nowhere. Kai walked over to the sofa and gently shook the rabbit awake.

"Jack, we're heading out."

Jack grumbled and rubbed his eyes, before sitting up and coughing profusely. Kai tried to help him, but he held his paw up to stop the wolf. Once Jack's coughing had finally died down, he reached into his suit pocket but realized there was nothing there.

"Where did you leave my old clothes?"

"Home, why do you need them?"

The rabbit spat a small amount of blood into a nearby trashcan, before wiping his mouth. "I had my meds in one of the pockets."

Kai searched the various pockets on his coat before producing a small pill bottle. He handed it to the rabbit. "Take three."

"What are these?"

"Hemostatic medicine. It won't cure you, but it will help with symptoms."

Jack took the pills, lying back. "What will it take to cure me? You _can_ cure me, right?"

"It's possible." He went to the door and opened it. "Let's go."

"Where?"

"I need to pay a visit to the satellite observation room."

Jack stood and followed; they headed down the hall, sticking to the rightmost wall to avoid the swarms of mammals rushing through. "Why satellites?" he inquired. "You had plenty of images."

"I need to get imaging that isn't obscured by weather."

"Meaning?"

"Every picture has massive cloud cover."

"Those are the Stormy Peaks," Jack stated. "There's always massive cloud cover."

"If I'm not mistaken we have access to better imaging satellites." When the pair reached the room, they threw the doors open, but no one paid them any immediate attention; mammals scrambled to and fro, waving papers wildly. At the center of the madness stood Buzz, shouting orders left and right. "I haven't seen this level of lunacy since the New York Stock Exchange."

Kai cleared his throat to no avail. Slightly irritated, he walked across the floor until he reached Buzz, before tapping the stag on the shoulder.

"What is it? I'm very busy!" Buzz barked, not sparing a moment to look.

"I need you to investigate these coordinates under thermal and x-ray resolution."

"Agent Sinclaw, I should have known it was you. Which coordinates?" Kai provided the digits, much to Buzz' amusement. He quickly switched on the intercom. "Whenever we have the view, take infrared and x-ray scans of the Stormy Peaks. Get me a timer while you're at it." The mammals operating one of the far consoles stared at him incredulously, before turning back to their stations. A small box with a ten-hour countdown showed up on one of the big screens.

"Ten hours?" Kai inquired.

"And six minutes," Buzz amended. "I don't know what fascinates you about the one spot on Earth that we can't see, but if it pleases you…"

"It doesn't bother you that you can see anything on Earth except for a small stretch of mountains?"

"They're mountains next to a bad climate zone, what could possibly be there?"

"We'll find out from infrared."

Buzz laughed. "When I said 'we can't see', I meant it in the most literal sense possible."

"We'll see," Kai responded, leaning against one of the consoles and sighing deeply. "Still, ten hours? I thought I asked for complete satellite coverage."

"We have two satellites that can view both in the infrared and x-ray spectra, and one of them isn't even launched yet. Even if it was, it takes a lot of mammal-power to manage a hunk of metal traveling at five miles per second." Buzz slowly raised his voice with each word, expressing his frustration with the seemingly unreasonable demands. "One wrong move and it comes crashing down, not to mention-"

"Save me the antics, it won't make me any happier."

"The common mammal would have been satisfied with only having to wait ten hours."

"Fortunately for you, I am _not_ the common mammal," Kai retorted, before sighing in a drawn-out, dreary manner. "So be it. If it will take ten hours, I might as well get something done. I expect your report at the front desk within the hour, and then you can call it for the night."

"I thought finding this fugitive of yours was a top priority."

"It was an option, not a requirement; you've been here for over twelve hours."

"Perhaps if we focused our efforts on something that wasn't a futile effort, we might be able to get something done." Buzz began muttering under his breath about 'suits breathing down his neck', but nonetheless resumed ordering around his subordinates.

"Come, Jack."

The rabbit followed Kai out of the room. After several minutes of walking in silence, he cleared his throat. "Where to, now? I recall you saying you were going to the hospital."

"Not yet," Kai responded. "We still have a few things to take care of, namely your lungs."

"I'll live."

"Possibly, yes, but there are several problems. It occurs to me that the symptoms you have indicate that you've got a disease known only to a few specialists and researchers, and you somehow contracted it in a way that I never thought it could be transmitted."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean, 'in a way you never thought it could be transmitted?"

"Sirius managed to bite you before you gouged his eye out, or so I was led to believe. In any case, the panacea I gave you yesterday should have repaired most of the damage, which is particularly troubling, seeing how you're already coughing blood."

"What are you getting at?" the rabbit questioned, stopping to stare at Kai.

"You really don't know?" Kai responded, stopping as well.

"..."

"Sirius was ill for quite a while. Typically, the disease he had could, in humans at any rate, only be transmitted through sharing needles and bad blood transfusions. It was postulated that cannibalizing someone afflicted with the disease could pass it on to the cannibal, but there were no documented cases. I never imagined it could have been transmitted by being bitten by an afflicted individual."

"So you're saying I have… Cynewulf disease?" Jack asked, full of disbelief. "That doesn't make sense. How could I have contracted it that way? If a disease passes through blood, how did I get it without any contact with his blood?"

"That's the great mystery. It could be possible during your struggle, you managed to cause him to bleed, which if it got on his teeth when he-"

"That's a stretch and you know it."

Kai shrugged. "Maybe carnivores have a different physiology that causes the prions to appear in their saliva. Who knows. It doesn't particularly matter how you got it because it appears at this rate you might die."

"That still doesn't make any sense; if it hasn't progressed much since the start of the year, why would it suddenly start to kill me?"

"When did you start those meds?"

"February, when I started having symptoms. They definitely helped, and I can't recall Sirius benefiting from any other meds."

Jack's ability to recall most details gave him hope for Leora's parents, but he didn't want to distract himself. "Did you ever take the pills I gave Sirius?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Sirius bit you last year. He's had this disease for years, and your symptoms had a much quicker onset. The only reason I can guess you haven't died is that you took some of his pills."

"No medication lasts a month," Jack spoke, slightly puzzled.

"Those pills are metabolized according to zero-order kinetics."

"Meaning?"

"Think alcohol. No matter how much you drink, you can only process so much in an hour."

"But as the quantity diminished, surely I would have experienced a gradual onset of symptoms?" the rabbit inquired.

" _Zadihania_ grows exponentially. If you have one misfolded protein in your lungs, it can only contact one other protein at a time to convert it. Then you have two, which becomes four… You get the idea. If you had a large enough concentration of the treatment initially, it can refold proteins correctly, greatly reducing your symptoms."

"Why was Sirius' condition growing so slowly?"

"It could be that his lungs are bigger. Possibly his different anatomy. Perhaps a new deformity when it transmitted to you could have reduced the time required to refold other proteins."

"So I could drop dead any minute now?"

"It's unlikely. As long as you can still breathe, you should be okay. In any case, symptom relief only prolongs the inevitable."

"So you're going to manufacture a batch of those pills?"

"Essentially, yes. I figured out how to suppress it in Sirius, at least for the time being, but it would take me weeks to do the same with you. I'm afraid maintenance is all I can offer."

"It beats dying."

Kai stopped at the front desk and inquired about the reports. The secretary made two phone calls, and in ten minutes, an intern came with various departmental reports. Kai stowed them in his coat and exited with Jack. Several vehicles were parked out front; he picked one at random and hotwired it, beckoning Jack to join him. The rabbit sighed, and reluctantly entered the passenger seat.

"I will never cease to wonder how you find half of your mannerisms acceptable in civilized society," he stated.

"I do what I must," was the response.

They set out, slowly making their way through traffic. Jack stared at the slowly setting sun, barely visible between the city buildings. Just as the sun vanished, and the sky no longer bore any traces of red, the car stopped. He looked around but could see no distinguishing features in the landscape, save for the city's outline wherefrom they drove, and the mountains ahead.

"Let's go," Kai spoke, exiting the car. Jack quickly hopped out and began to follow him into the mountains. Slowly, as the incline became steeper and steeper, he struggled to take every next step, before he eventually collapsed, wheezing. The man took him in his arms and proceeded.

They eventually reached a well-concealed door that Jack never would have noticed had he come alone. The man threw it open effortlessly and stepped inside. As the vault shut, the last semblance of any form of illumination died, and they were plunged into complete darkness.

"Please tell me you aren't going to-" Before Jack could finish, he felt like he was falling. Rather than try to break free, he held on to Kai for dear life. His stomach felt like it was being forced out of place, and he felt sick. After two minutes of unbearable nausea, they came to a sudden stop with a rather loud bang.

Jack still felt extremely disoriented after the plummet and asked to be set down. The man obliged, and he lay still on the ground heaving and struggling to catch his breath. He wasn't physically injured, but he still nonetheless was incredibly dizzy. After five minutes of lying still, he eventually felt slightly better. He stood and followed the man to the medical quarters, before being lifted onto one of the beds.

"Why are we waiting here?" he inquired, slightly slurring his words. "Just grab the pills and we can get going."

"It's not quite that simple," Kai responded, walking over to a medical cart. He unlocked it and opened the bottom drawer; inside, there was a huge quantity of loose pills. He took an empty, appropriately-sized pill bottle, and scooped up a full supply of medicine, before closing the drawer and returning. He gave the filled bottle to Jack, before heading to another cart. He shortly returned with an IV kit and a bag of fluid.

"An IV?" Jack questioned.

"The pills would take a couple of days to start working. In the meantime, you need symptom relief."

"Just get me bronchodilators."

"Bronchodilators will cause uncontrolled bleeding."

"Corticosteroids?"

"There exist better medications." He held up the bag, before holding Jack's arm out and disinfecting it. He inserted the catheter into a vein, before attaching the bag to the Luer lock. "Take four pills."

"Do you have water?" Kai quickly fetched a cup of tap water, handing it to the rabbit. Jack stared at the pills in his paw, before taking them and flushing them down. "Now we wait," he muttered.

"I need to fetch a few things, but I'll be back shortly. Need anything?"

"Like what?"

"Food, perhaps?"

"I guess. Surprise me."

Kai nodded and left. While he was gone, Jack watched the liquid slowly dripping down the IV line and into his arm. As he watched the drips, his mind began to wander. He thought about the gravity of the man's implications: he had fought Sirius, and yet, had no recollection of it. In the end, Sirius was half-blind, and his every breath pained him.

Jack felt an intense guilt. How could he have let the events in the past few months transpire the way they did? He always had a choice. If he simply accepted Amier's offer, his new family would be alive. If he arrested Rigel when she first pitched her idea for the coup, he would have been on good terms with everyone. Years prior, if he had merely shot that wolf in the Rainforest District observatory, perhaps…

"Jack."

The rabbit snapped out of his trance. "Yes?"

"Eat up." The man set a small bowl of assorted greens and fruits on the bedside table, set down a duffel bag full of non-sequential bills, pulled up a chair, and took a seat.

"Procyon?"

"Garrett, but yes?"

"Garrett, do you have regrets?"

"I regret many things. Why do you ask?"

"Do your regrets…" Jack pondered how he wanted to word the statement. "Do they haunt you?"

The man sighed, deducing the true reason for Jack's question. "There was no way you could have known what would have happened."

"My hubris and inability to act in the face of overwhelming danger frequently costs everyone around me dearly."

"Learn from your mistakes."

"I've been in this game too long. How does that expression go? 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'?"

"Well, look at me. I'm the epitome of 'old dog'. Yet, of all the mistakes I've made, they've shaped me into a better man."

"But you and I are very different." Jack smiled weakly. "You know, everything you've said about mammals is true. We really are simple."

"Jack, you did what you had to. You performed your duties to the best of your abilities."

"But it wasn't good enough." They sat in silence for a long minute, before Jack sighed. "No matter, I still have a job to do. I need to make things right."

This time, Kai smiled, before reaching into his coat and pulling out a small pocket pistol in an appropriately sized holster. "In that case, I imagine you'd need one of these."

He looked at the gun, before taking it into his paws and inspecting it closer. It appeared to have a double-stack magazine, but even still it only held seven bullets. The markings on the back of the casing were foreign to him, as was the metal comprising the actual bullet, but each one had considerable heft and was fairly large for rabbit standards. He put the safety on and stowed it back in the holster, before clipping it onto his leg. "I… don't know what to say. Thank you."

"I trust you will use it well."

"I can try."

Kai patted Jack on the back. "That's the spirit."

They sat in relative silence for a little while longer, before the IV drip eventually finished its course. After performing basic tests and patching Jack's arm, the duo slowly proceeded back to the entrance.

"Are you ready?" Kai asked, staring at the city lights in the distance.

"Sometimes, we have to do things even if we aren't ready."

"Let's go, then."

* * *

 **Zootopia Police Department  
** **Tundratown Precinct  
** **30 Minutes Prior**

Leora exited the taxi, paying a nominal fee. "Wait here," she spoke, before proceeding into a somewhat bleak, snow-covered building. Once inside, she glanced around, before noticing a rather dejected white fox sitting on a bench silently. In front of him, Chief Bogo stood menacingly. She approached the pair, ignoring Bogo's glaring eyes, turning instead to face Neal.

"Hey," she spoke softly, offering her paw. "Let's get you home."

"L-Leora?" he stuttered, looking up to meet her gaze. "What happened to you?"

"I'll tell you everything on the way."

"Not so fast," Bogo said, stopping them. "Someone has to fill out the release paperwork."

"You didn't?"

"I'm not responsible for him."

"The only reason I'm here at all is because of you!" Neal suddenly shouted. The mammal behind the desk looked up momentarily, before looking back to his paperwork. "Not responsible, my ass! All you ever do is take one look, make some stupid assumptions, and then wave your dick around arresting mammals! I called you because Lyra was in danger, and what did you do?!"

"Look." Bogo sighed before taking a seat. "I admit that I made an error in judgment."

"You say that as if you didn't intend to do what you did."

"I arrived at the scene, you had a gun, and you had shot someone. What was I supposed to think?"

"I was the one who called! Why would I be the threat?"

"Think of it this way: given a choice, with lives at stake, would you trust a rabies survivor who still experiences psychotic symptoms holding a gun, or a group of well-renowned, respected doctors cowering in a corner?"

"I… Still, you didn't have to mistreat Lyra!"

"You know damn well what her father did!" Again, the officer behind the desk glanced in their direction. Bogo hushed his voice. "He totally lost it, and it cost over a million mammals their lives. In my experience, and I'm sure in yours as well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. When you called about trouble involving her, what was I to expect?"

"Not so fast, Chief," Leora interjected. "Garrett tells me you _knew_ Jack escaped."

Bogo groaned. "Of course he would tell you that."

"And you didn't do anything about it? Why didn't you tell him?!"

"Because I agreed with Rigel, he doesn't pose a threat anymore. He's deathly ill, and he has nowhere to go. The last thing I need is another panic and wild goose chase."

"It's funny you say that because I saw him no more than an hour ago."

"That's not possible."

She subtly shook her head in disbelief. "I used to look up to you, Chief. You never made excuses, you never compromised; you never gave up until you saw something through to the end. You were a hero. You were _my_ hero."

He stayed silent, although his expression softened.

"Ever since you joined the Court, you've changed. You don't want to choose right from wrong, you just do what others tell you. You stab your allies in the back," she spoke, pointing to Neal. "You race through everything, just so you don't have to deal with it anymore. You wonder why no one respects your authority, why everyone ridicules you behind your back." She stepped up very close and glared straight into his eyes. "Well, let me tell you: when I look at you, I don't see a hero. I only see a monster."

Bogo appeared shocked.

"And I refuse to work for an animal. I quit." Leora turned to leave. "Let's go, Neal."

The fox stood, glaring daggers at Bogo before starting to walk with her.

"Wait, Leora!"

Leora fished in her pocket and found her police badge. She looked it over one last time: the back was tarnished, but the front was well polished, albeit scuffed from years of wear and tear. She dropped it on the ground where she stood. "Good luck finding replacements."

Bogo was speechless.

Leora exited with Neal into the cold winter air.

"Is that it, then?" he asked. "You threw your job away for me?"

"No, not for you. I did it for myself."

"I suppose I can take some comfort in knowing I didn't cost you too much. What now, then?"

"We're going to the hospital."

"Why?"

"I need to visit someone. Sorry for dragging you along like this."

"No worries."

They found the taxi waiting for them on the corner; they entered, before instructing the driver to drive to the General Hospital.

"So… what happened to you?" the fox inquired quietly, making sure to avoid the attention of the driver.

"Hmm?" Leora responded, glancing in his direction. He was staring intently at her.

"You look younger, and your scars are gone."

"Oh, that." She stared through the window, watching the lights flash by. "It's a long story. I guess it started when I was hospitalized after the situation in Sahara Square. I wasn't supposed to make it; I suffered total liver failure from acute Night Howler poisoning. I was on the transplant list, but it's hundreds of leopards long. In the end, Garrett pulled me through."

"Who did he have to kill for a new liver?"

"Surprisingly, no one. He got me an artificial one. A replacement for his kind."

"Does that mean you can't be poisoned?"

She chuckled. "It's a funny thing. It wasn't supposed to be possible." Neal raised an eyebrow but listened eagerly. "As it so happens, a liver for humans filters things for them, and not leopards. Within a day, I had nightmares. Two days and I was shaking. Three, and I was having seizures."

"Did you get an actual transplant?"

"No. I underwent a procedure to replace the catalyst." She winced. "It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced, by far."

"Why was it painful? Couldn't they put you out?"

"Unfortunately, the liver as it was would filter anything out, and anything that would have worked would have contaminated the new stuff. The old stuff came out no sweat, and they stuck a horrifically long needle into my gut and pumped the new stuff in."

"That sucks…"

"That's not the half of it. That, I could bear. To activate it, they had to stick a second needle in and… God knows what they did to it, it felt like I was full of molten iron, hooked up to a power transformer."

"I'm so sorry." He hugged her, and she smiled, hugging him back.

"Well, it's all gone uphill since then. I won't pretend to understand how, but it's like… it's like the clock rolled back."

Neal looked thoroughly confused. "I'm not sure I follow."

"I haven't looked this good since I was twenty. All the scars I've collected in the past few years, broken bones, my bad eye… gone."

"I still don't get what you're saying. Was it like plastic surgery, or…?"

"This will sound unrelated, but bear with me. What do you think when I say 'god'?"

"I mean… well…" Neal pondered for a while. "I always figured He was a fox. I mean, someone has to look out for me, and who else but a fox would care about another?"

"If you asked me that question a week ago, I would have probably answered 'leopard' for the same reason."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Have you ever wondered if, perhaps, He isn't a leopard, or a fox, or a wolf? What if He's beyond species?"

"That's… a bizarre way of thinking. If He doesn't have a species, what is He?"

"That's the thing. I can't say for sure whether or not there is a God or even more than one. But, when I was in Honshu, I met something… someone, rather, that comes pretty close. Although he was neither leopard, nor wolf, nor fox, he felt like each of them and more."

"Another human?"

"No. He was made by them and for the past… Well, since the Long Dark, he improved himself. He cannot leave his 'lair', for lack of a better word, but within, he is purportedly omnipotent."

Neal laughed. "That's a silly notion." As he thought about it more, his smile slowly faded. "What do you mean, made by them?"

"Supposedly, he was once a computer with access to resources. At any rate, that's the past he gave us; who knows the truth, really? His purpose was to save them, but he couldn't come up with a working solution. He decided he needed more processing power, so he made it. More and more he grew, and eventually… I don't even understand this part, but supposedly, he exists in a higher dimension."

"He what now?"

"We live here, on Earth. Three dimensions-"

"What about time?"

"Four then, whatever. Garrett tried to explain it to me like this: imagine a point. Draw a second point anywhere except on top of the first one, and connect them. You get a line, one dimension. Draw a second line anywhere except on top of the first, and connect each point on one line with the corresponding point on the other, and you get area, two dimensions. Same thing for three dimensions, connect the areas and you get volume."

"Following that logic, I imagine time is just connecting two volumes?"

"Yes, but we can only see one piece of volume at a time, as we travel along that curve."

"O...okay, I'm following you." It was evident that he wasn't, but Leora continued nonetheless.

"Now imagine doing that three more times."

Neal thought for a minute, before laughing. "I can't!"

"Think about how much more space you have to fit parts and imagine that it stretches to infinity within _that_ space."

"But if he's there, how can he be here, too?"

She shrugged. "I-"

"We're here," the driver spoke, turning to face them.

"So soon?"

"Mhm."

She shrugged but exited and paid. Neal followed her into the hospital.

"Think you can arrange a meeting between me and him? I'm sure I could use some fixing up. I've seen a lot of neurologists and still nothing."

"You'd have to ask Garrett. He got us there last time."

"Will do."

They finally reached the front desk. "Excuse me?" Leora asked softly.

"How can I help you?" replied the skunk behind the counter.

"Here to visit Mrs. Cynewulf."

"Visiting hours ended an hour ago."

Leora found her ZBI badge and showed it. "Don't keep me waiting, please. Tell me where I can find Cynewulf."

The receptionist typed a few things into the computer. "Room 438, Post-Surgical wing. Down that way." The skunk pointed to the doors situated at the far end of the lobby. "Up to the fourth floor."

"Thank you." They began to walk, passed through the double doors, and pushed the button for an elevator.

"What was that badge?" Neal inquired.

"Oh, this?" She gave it to him to inspect, and he turned it over in his paws. "Nothing special."

"ZBI? Didn't your boyfriend make it up?"

"Yup," she answered, chuckling lightly. "It works, so hey, who cares."

He gave the badge back. "Are you hiring?"

"I'd have to ask, but why?"

"I got fired."

"At least you don't have to deal with paperwork anymore."

"Heh." Neal scowled, and anger became evident in his voice. "I'm a sniper, I have the best aim in the whole goddamn city, and I'm stuck cleaning up and documenting after everyone else makes a mess."

Leora patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll treat you well."

He looked up and smiled, anger dissolving from his face. "You always have."

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped in, hitting the button for the fourth floor. The doors closed, and they ascended, stepping out and following the signs. It was almost unnecessary because the proper room had two ZSS agents watching the door. As she came close, they subtly stepped in front of the door to block the way.

"Excuse me," Leora spoke, "I'm here to visit."

"We are not allowed to permit unauthorized mammals," one of them responded.

"I'm her friend, just ask her."

"Please turn around and leave."

"Surely there has to be something we can do to convince you that we aren't enemies." She fished out her ZBI badge; they looked at it but didn't react.

"I'm afraid not. Come back tomorrow, and bring an ID. We'll see if you check out."

Leora pulled out her phone and called Grace. She heard the phone ring through the door before her call was eventually answered by Sirius. "Leora, how are you?"

"Waiting outside the door."

"Why don't you come in?"

"These two assholes are blocking the way."

The door opened from the inside and Sirius walked out. "Why didn't you let them in?" he berated, ushering Leora and Neal in. "Next time someone comes, let us know."

They nodded, and he closed the door. Leora looked around and noticed the room wasn't as empty as she thought it would be. In the bed was Grace, as expected, but Lyra, Atria, and Arcturus also stood, the latter hunched in the corner. Lyra ran and hugged Neal, before hugging Leora, thanking her profusely.

"I take it Garrett isn't here yet?" Leora inquired.

"He's coming?" Arcturus inquired.

"Yeah. Speaking of, when did you get back?"

"We finished unexpectedly early, and when I heard Altair was shot, by a human no less, I rushed as fast as I could."

"I have to say, you moved faster than a bat out of hell," Grace commented, groaning when she sat up.

"If you don't stay still, you'll never get better!" Atria chastised, pushing her back down.

"What I wouldn't give for that magical red stuff Garrett has."

"What we all wouldn't give for that," Sirius murmured.

"Something is bothering me, Leora," Arcturus spoke. "Why do you look different? I almost didn't recognize you."

"Long story, but I can get into it later."

"She met God, supposedly," Neal spoke absentmindedly. Everyone looked at him. It was a while before he noticed. "Why is everyone looking at me?"

"She met God?" Atria asked.

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes."

Everyone stared at the fox incredulously; Atria almost said something else, but Arcturus interjected. "No matter," he spoke, preventing the conversation from getting out of hand. "I'm glad she's healthy." He checked the clock on the wall. "How long until he gets here?"

As if on cue, there was arguing outside, before something slammed into the door. "I imagine that would be him," Leora answered.

"Do you think for once he can make it in without hurting someone?" Grace lambasted.

The door opened slowly, before Kai walked in, removing his coat and hanging it on the hook. "Believe me, Grace, I want to. Unfortunately, it seems no one can read a memo."

"Memo?"

"Forget the memo, who are you?" Arcturus questioned.

"Ah, right." Kai changed back into a human, startling half of the room. "Ta-da," he spoke in a very lackluster fashion. "As for the memo, I thought you informed the ZSS of my companion."

Jack slowly sauntered in, much to nearly everyone's shock. Lyra bolted forward and cocked her fist back, slamming it into his face, sending him to the floor. She nearly clawed at him, but Kai lifted her and held her at arm's length. Arcturus nearly leaped into action, but Kai stopped him.

"J...Jack?" Grace spoke, unable to believe her eyes. "Why would he be in my memo?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"No."

"Fuck your damn memo, what is _he_ doing here?!" Lyra seethed. "He's the reason Neal got hurt in the first place!"

"He contracted rabies because of your father," Jack responded, trying to stem the flow of blood from his muzzle.

Lyra struggled, eventually biting Kai's hand in an attempt to break free. He didn't so much as flinch, and as soon as she realized his blood was burning her mouth, she immediately spat onto the floor, coughing.

"Everyone calm down," Kai demanded. Instantly there was silence in the room. He set the vixen back down. "He is here to help."

"Help? He's done enough to help!" Atria nearly shouted. "How many have died because of his actions?"

"How many have died because of mine?"

"Except you want to help, you try to help."

"As does he."

"Please," Jack spoke meekly, with a slight nasal inflection. "I'm sorry. I know I've done horrible things, and I won't try to excuse my actions. All I ask is that you give me a chance to redeem myself."

"Why should we?" Arcturus questioned, infuriated. "Why do you deserve our forgiveness?"

"I…" Jack couldn't answer.

"Because I said so," Kai responded, defending him.

"Unfortunately, as much as it pains me, I agree with Garrett," Leora stated. "He wasn't himself when he committed those atrocities."

"What do you mean?" Atria interrupted. "How was he not himself?"

"There are drugs that put truth and complacency serums to shame." She glanced at Kai, who looked back. "I've seen them used before."

No one spoke for a long time. Kai eventually walked over to Grace and sat by her bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," came the response. "Jack, can you come here?" The rabbit slowly walked up to the side of her bed. She dangled her paw over the side, and he held it firmly. "I'm glad you're alright."

"I'm sorry."

"Everyone makes mistakes. So what if you shot me with pyrophoric radioactive metal?" Grace chuckled. "I lived." She turned to face Kai. "However, there's something I need to discuss with you, regarding your conversation with Ian."

"There is nothing to discuss," Kai retorted, narrowing his gaze.

"What about the fact that you planned on eradicating your species?"

"You what?" Atria spoke, shocked. Arcturus and the others shared her sentiment.

"The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision. If I killed Amier, they would certainly retaliate. Unless you want Zootopia to end up like Mapleton, there is no other option."

"So what, a preemptive strike?" Arcturus mumbled to himself. "But there's no way to destroy an underground bunker, even with your firepower…"

"If I destabilize their power core, it would destroy them along with their weapon depots. Damage to the surrounding areas would be limited by the Earth's magnetic fields."

"He does have a point."

"How can you even say that, Arcturus?" Sirius shouted. "So what, they have one bad individual! I suppose we can go out slaughtering lions because of Animalia!"

"Animalia, as in the massacre?" Neal piped in. "I thought the shooter was a rhino?"

"He was forced into the act by a lion, namely... Wait, why am I explaining this to you? You're not in the Court!"

"Moot point, Sirius," Kai responded. "Either way, I'm open to suggestions."

"We'll think of something," Grace answered. "Until then, I forbid you from killing them off."

"What position are you in to tell me what I am allowed to do?"

"We're friends, right? Friends don't let friends do stupid things."

"I can think it over again, but unless I made some grave error in my calculations, there is only one way to minimize casualties."

"Not everything is about the numbers," Leora spoke, placing her paw on his shoulder. "Sometimes you have to have some faith. What if he lied to you? What if he doesn't really have any power?"

"I am not a man of faith, and what you are suggesting is unlikely."

"After seeing Serenity, you say that?"

"I'm a man of science. He is the perfect embodiment. Ergo…" He didn't feel the need to finish his sentence because he assumed everyone else would understand.

"Serenity?" Lyra asked. "I'm afraid I'll need some context."

"He's some asshole that wants to play God," Sirius answered, massaging his temples. "Look, Garrett, sleep on it. I promise you there is a better solution."

Kai sighed. "I suppose we can wait and see, then."

Again, there was a palpable silence, before eventually, Lyra stood and stretched. "Keep me posted, then," she spoke. "I'm sure Neal's starving, and I haven't had a chance to make anything yet."

"How about you two go out to eat tonight." Kai gave Neal the bag of money, before also standing and stretching, shapeshifting back into a wolf. As Lyra glanced into the bag, her jaw nearly dropped from shock.

"Hold on, you can't just give us this much money and then leave!"

"I can, and I will; I have some business that needs to be done elsewhere. Let's go, Leora, Jack."

"I also have some business to take care of," Arcturus spoke. "I trust you will also keep me posted. Get well soon, Altair." He bade the rest of them farewell before opening the door and sighing. "At least he didn't kill the guards," he mumbled before making his way down the hall.

"Please, take care," Grace spoke, turning her attention to Leora. "And make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Will do," Leora promised, smiling and hugging her friend. Before long, the trio departed, bidding farewell to the rest of the mammals. When they exited the hospital, Leora inquired, "What business, exactly, did you have?"

"Jack needs a place to stay."

She sighed. "You're gonna have him stay with us, aren't you?"

"Where else? Most mammals hate him."

"I included, but that doesn't seem to stop you."

They walked to the street corner before Kai stopped to stare at the moon, now much higher in the sky.

"Don't tell me you want to howl?" Leora quipped, smiling. "I'll have you know starting a howl within city limits is punishable by two weeks prison or a fine of five thousand bucks."

"It's not that. I just don't know what to do. Either way, someone loses. If it's not mammal civilization, then it's humanity. I wish I knew how to save everyone."

"I'm sure you'll think of something. You always do."

"Not always." He checked the time, before setting off. "Let's go home."

* * *

 **40 Miles Southwest of Zootopia**

Amier limped slowly through a cornfield, still unsure if he was being chased. Kai's throat may have been cut, but the armed wolves seemed limitless in number and persistent beyond reason. As he pushed through the last row of corn, he saw a small barn several hundred paces away.

"Finally," he muttered, painfully stumbling to the entrance. Although he was no longer bleeding, the bullet that struck his hip damaged his disguise and injured several nerves. Not a deadly blow by any means, but the wolf that shot him probably couldn't have caused him any more pain.

The barn door was locked, but he managed to kick it down. Inside, he found several bales of hay as well as old equipment. He searched for something he could use, and eventually stumbled upon a small medicine cabinet near the opposite entrance. Inside, he found bandages, alcohol, two bottles of water, and several miscellaneous medications, particularly for allergies and stomach problems, as well as insulin. He grinned; as much as he hated that animals could talk, he was relieved that these particular ones stocked what he needed.

He opened the bottle of antihistamine and crushed several pills, dissolved them in the water of the first bottle. Once he had a solution, he opened the syringe with insulin and poured it out, before filling it with his solution and injecting it into his hip. Nearly immediately, he felt relief. Despite his pain fading, he had to act quickly; he had maybe fifteen minutes before he metabolized all of the medication.

Amier set to work bandaging his wound. There was no risk of it bleeding, and it had mostly healed, but immobilizing the surrounding tissue would reduce the pain when the homemade analgesic wore off. Once that was done, he looked around for something he could use as a weapon. Although he was sure he could kill anyone he happened upon, it was somewhat disconcerting that he ran out of ammunition for his handgun. To his dismay, the only thing he could find was a grass scythe, dull and rusted from years of disuse.

Wound sealed and now armed, Amier slowly sat on the nearby table and sighed. He inspected the bottle of alcohol and decided against taking a swig; even though it was drinking alcohol, he could smell formaldehyde in the bottle and didn't particularly care for the taste. Instead, he opted to drink from the second water bottle. Once he slaked his thirst, he began to think: he needed a plan. The first part of any plan was accounting for travel, and as such, he opened his disguise projector and examined the inside; he reasoned that the situation could be salvaged with some minor soldering. Naturally, the bullet completely destroyed the memory chip and several other integrated circuits, meaning he wouldn't be able to repair it. He chuckled in disbelief, before slamming his fist into the wall, crushing the wood that comprised it. Getting around would now be much harder, all because of one impeccable shot.

Amier's next idea, as much as it pained him, was to call for assistance. He retrieved an ansible, worn from centuries of being carried around, and stared at it. He had only used it once before, and after a quick diagnostic confirmed that it still worked. Just before he placed the call, he heard the cocking of a gun from the entrance he had come through. He quickly stowed the device, grabbed the scythe, and hid behind a tractor, watching for the source of the noise. There, he saw a bull confidently wielding a break-action shotgun, slowly creeping in.

"If there's anyone in here, you have ten seconds to show yourself before I shoot."

Amier would have laughed at the notion if he didn't need to be quiet. If he didn't show himself, what would the bull shoot at? As the bovine walked past him, he quickly knocked the shotgun out of his hands and threw him onto his back.

"W-Who are you? What do you want with me?"

Amier walked out of the darkness and into the moonlight; as his form was revealed, he could see the terror in the beast's eyes.

"Death! You can't come for me yet, I'm not old!"

Amier glanced at the scythe in his arms. Between that and his attire, he could see why the bovine would mistake him for the grim reaper. The notion made him grin. "I wasn't going to hurt you until you came. However…" he ran his hand along the blade of the scythe, before raising it. "I'm not one to leave witnesses."

"Wait, I won't talk, I-" Before he could finish his sentence, the scythe came down with a sickening noise; the crunch of bone and spray of blood gave into pathetic wheezing, which eventually fell silent. Amier left the blade protruding from the animal, instead opting to pick up the dropped shotgun.

Now that he was alone once more, he pulled the ansible out. After staring at it for a very long time, he called. After a minute, his call was answered by a voice with a hardly noticeable Russian accent; to the untrained ear, the voice was merely distorted by the call, but Amier knew better than to suspect the ansible of wrongdoing.

"Well if it isn't Amier the Cripple. You haven't called me since-"

"Yes, yes, I know, spare me the antics," Amier interrupted, annoyed. "I need your help."

"You weren't maimed again, were you?"

"Slightly."

He heard a very exasperated sigh. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you when you get here."

"And where, exactly, is 'here'?"

"Reasonably close to Old Philly."

"And what, exactly, are you doing near Old Philly?"

"I had to see someone. Listen, it's not important, just come as soon as you can."

"I need to deliver Hiro back to his son in Toronto, but I'm sure I can spare a day after that."

"You what?"

"You heard me." Immediately, the voice's tone changed into one of mocking suspicion. "Unless, of course, you have a problem with that?"

"It's not that I have a problem with it, it's that I need an extraction." He looked at the dead bull. "Preferably sooner than later."

"Why would you need extraction? I thought you were self-sufficient."

"My disguise projector broke."

"You see, that wouldn't be a problem if you took Serenity's-"

"I will not stoop so low as to be an animal," Amier seethed. "I will _not_ throw away my humanity."

"Your antiquated mentalities are exactly why your leg is gone, and more importantly, I imagine it's why you need my help. Is it not in a human's nature to survive by any means necessary?"

"This argument is getting nowhere. I will not be swayed. Just come get me."

"As soon as I finish my business in Toronto, I'll decide if you deserve it."

"Why would I not? Certainly, you of all people would strive to help any human in need?"

"You have a habit of lying about everything as a means to an end. Why else would you be on the run if you didn't do something stupid?"

"You are always suspicious of me, aren't you, Jin?"

"Taemur, if that infant isn't exactly where we left him, I will mangle you far worse than Vitya ever could. This, I promise."

Before Amier could answer, the call ended. He closed his eyes, deep in thought. If… when rather, Jin-Roh realized what he had done, he would have much larger problems than Kai or any of the animals he could rouse. No, the last thing he needed was for another human to be hunting him to the ends of the Earth.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Halloween! Unfortunately, it's been a little over five months since the last actual update.** **I'm sorry, everyone.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Downtown  
3 AM**

Kai awoke to the sound of rustling in the next room. He quietly got out of bed, being sure not to wake Leora, and grabbed the weapon he kept under his pillow, before slowly opening the door. In the other room, he saw Jack tossing and turning, incidentally scratching the wall with his paws. Kai breathed a sigh of relief, before silently pulling the mattress away from the wall. He draped the blanket back over the rabbit, exiting to the balcony for some fresh air.

He spent a long while resting his chin on the railing, staring at the city lights and the occasional mammal on the street below. The entire time, a sense of uncertainty plagued him. What would become of them if he failed to stop Amier? Could he even stop Amier?

Eventually, enough time had passed that the sun slowly began to rise, casting long rays of beautiful light between the buildings. Not long after that, more and more mammals exited their homes, either to work, exercise, or for their own leisure. To his left, in a slightly more secluded area, several kittens of various species began to play soccer in an alley, using metal trash cans as the goalposts. Watching them play made him wonder how sports worked for mammals: would they have different divisions for larger and smaller mammals, or did a team just pick the fastest individuals, regardless of size?

He pondered this for a few moments, happy for the slight distraction from the other racing thoughts. Just as he was preparing to retire back to the apartment to try and focus on the day ahead, the door behind him opened. He turned around to see Leora; her fur was incredibly ruffled, and her eyes were still half-shut. "What are you doing out here?" she asked drowsily, rubbing her eyes.

"Just enjoying the atmosphere," he answered, turning back to watch the soccer match a little more. Leora chuckled.

"I don't think I've seen them play in a while," she softly spoke, leaning on the railing and wrapping her arm around his. "I remember watching them play last summer; it's amazing how fast they can grow. Spring is a magical time of year, isn't it?"

"It is. It also makes me wish we didn't have to deal with Amier."

"We'll beat him. Don't worry." She hugged his arm tightly. "Do you want to take a break? Go down and cheer them on?"

"I'm not sure I can afford a break, not until we find Amier. When he no longer poses a threat, we can do anything your heart desires."

"Surely you can wait just an hour?" Leora gently plead.

He shook his head slowly. "Breakfast is about the most we can spare. After that, I need to see Buzz. Those imaging satellites should be in place within a few more hours."

Kai turned back and entered the apartment with Leora. Inside, Jack was sitting in the small recliner in their living room, waiting patiently. "What's the plan?" he asked, standing to stretch.

"Breakfast, and then back to work," Kai responded. He sauntered to the refrigerator and opened it; inside, he found a very meager portion of salmon. Upon inspecting the freezer, he realized they didn't have much at all to eat, especially for a rabbit. "Well," he continued, closing the freezer door, "Looks like we're going out to eat."

"Out? I was fairly certain we still had some fish," Leora yelled out from their room.

"Rabbits don't eat fish," Kai answered, throwing his coat on, "And at the moment I'm not really keen on it either."

"So what, a trip to the market?" Jack pondered.

"Or we find a fast diner. Any preference as to which?" Kai asked them both.

"Market, preferably," Jack responded. "I know all of the deliveries come in about…" He checked the clock on the wall. "About an hour."

"An hour, you say?" Leora smiled to Kai as she entered the kitchen. "Let's do that, then. If I'm going to wait it's going to be in the sun, and not a stuffy old diner."

"An hour is a bit much, but I suppose we can spare the time."

"In that case, I'm going to shower. Keep the rabbit out."

Kai and Jack exchanged a glance, and by the time they looked back, Leora had already absconded to the bathroom.

"Well, she won't have to worry," the rabbit began, hopping up onto a chair. "Could you get me a glass of water, please?"

Kai complied, quickly returning with water and laying his hand out to the rabbit as well. "Three pills again," he spoke.

Jack took the medication from his hand before letting out a light sigh, downing the pills and water before resting his head on the countertop. "At least the weather's nice," he grumbled.

"That it is. I need to make a phone call, but if you want, you can wash up in the sink."

"The kitchen sink?" Jack glanced at the faucet. "I'll pass, I'd rather wait for the shower to free up."

"I know you've used far worse as a makeshift shower."

"I never said I didn't, but you reminding me is giving me rather painful flashbacks. I'd really rather wait for the actual shower."

"As you wish." Kai stepped back onto the balcony before pulling his phone out and calling ZSS. After several rings, he eventually reached the secretary. "Redirect to SATCOM, please." Again, he heard rings, before a rather quiet voice answered.

"This is SATCOM Agent Runpaw, who's calling?"

"This is Agent Sinclaw, hand the line to Buzz; I need to speak with him. Urgently."

"Yes, sir…" There was a long pause on the line. "I…", another pause "I can't get his attention, sir."

"Try harder, walk up and get him if need be."

Twenty seconds later, Kai could hear very angry shouting. After nearly a full minute of the berating, it eventually died down. "Who is this?" Buzz seethed, very angry.

"Agent Sinclaw, your boss."

"Great, just great. What do you need?"

"Nothing much, I was merely calling to ask about your progress."

"It's not well. We haven't found anything yet, and someone fucked up the reboost calculations so it'll be another four hours before we have visual."

"Tell your technicians to be more careful, but no matter. I can afford four hours."

"You sound less upset than I thought you would be, especially considering how pissed you were at the ten-hour wait."

"What's the alternative? There's no point in being mad over something I can't control."

"I'm not going to lie, I wasn't expecting that from you. Is that all, Agent Sinclaw?"

"It is. I wish you the-" Buzz hung up on him. Kai stared at the phone in disbelief, "That's the third time that's happened to me. If there's anything I truly miss from my work twenty-five centuries ago, it'd have to be respect," he muttered to himself before shaking his head and stowing the phone. Walking back into the apartment, he saw Leora behind the counter with Jack nowhere to be seen, but he figured the rabbit was showering. "We have four hours."

"Four? What happened?"

"Someone made a mistake with the satellite reboosts. I suppose this gives us a chance to actually enjoy some time together."

"Are you telling me you didn't enjoy the past week with me?" Leora joked, feigning offense.

"My dear, you know I loved our time together as much as you did, but it would have been much better without the death scares."

She leaned on his shoulder and purred. "I know you did, but it's fun to tease you. So, do you still want to go to the market?"

"Perhaps. What are you proposing instead?"

"Well, if we have four hours now, we could probably go to a fancy sit-down place."

"We could, but the only such sit-down restaurant that serves both predators and prey, and _isn't_ a cheap diner, is about an hour trip across the city. I feel it's both more cost and time efficient to just get some groceries and make something up from scratch."

"Like what? I can't cook anything other than basic fish and soup."

"What, you don't trust my cooking?"

"No, that's not it… Well, actually, that depends: what are you planning on making?"

"Food."

"What kind?"

"The good kind."

"Oh damn," Leora responded sarcastically, "Now I _know_ I can trust your cooking."

Kai took a very deep and very formal bow. "I live to please, my queen."

Leora couldn't hold back a chuckle. "I am your queen, and don't you forget it."

"I don't plan on it," Kai responded, walking over and kissing the back of her paw, prompting her to laugh heartily.

They continued their back and forth discussion before Jack sauntered out, wearing little more than jeans and a sweatshirt. After slightly ruffling up the fur on his head, he turned to face them. "Do I look presentable?"

"You look absolutely adorable," Leora responded stochastically, rolling her eyes. "I could just pinch your little cheeks."

"Inconspicuous," Kai commented. "Adequate for not attracting too much attention."

"Unfortunately the fit isn't as nice as I would have hoped." Jack adjusted his clothing a bit, before scowling. "Too loose."

"They look alright," Leora spoke, heading to the door, opening it. "Very sleek and modern."

"I'm not a big fan of clothing that can snag."

"The idea isn't to run, it's to be able to pack enough heat so you don't have to." She stepped out, and the others shortly followed.

"But that's senseless," Jack argued. "It would only weigh you down, and if your firepower doesn't work, you need a way out."

"You drop it then."

"You still have to deal with the loose clothing."

"Strip naked."

"That would be even worse!"

"Jack, this is called blending in. Didn't you do that when you were a field agent"?

"Well, yeah, the difference being that I wore clothes that fit better," he grumbled.

"Alright, enough," Kai piped in. "This is my first ever trip to a farmer's market in spring. I fully intend to enjoy it, and I won't have it be ruined by your bickering."

"This isn't bickering, this is idle banter," Leora responded slyly.

"Oh, that changes everything!" Kai retorted with blatantly obvious sarcasm layering his voice.

The others chuckled as they stopped at an intersection. Cars of varying sizes raced by, and impatient pedestrians tried to brush past them to be the first in line when the pedestrian light signaled their turn. When the light changed color, they made sure not to get trampled as they crossed the zebra-stripe patterned crosswalk, before eventually continuing along the sidewalk. Kai nearly continued before Leora stopped him.

"You're taking the long way," she said, holding her paw across his chest to stop him.

"Are you implying I don't know what I'm doing?" he mused, grinning.

"Yes, actually," she responded with confidence.

"So be it, kitten. Lead the way." He bowed low and gestured with his paws, motioning for her to take the lead.

"That's _Your Royal Highness_ to you," she corrected. She immediately took a right and proudly strutted down the adjacent street for several minutes; Kai and Jack followed closely, but Kai's grin never dissipated. Just after crossing the street, Leora turned the corner to found the street closed.

"What?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Construction."

"But…" Her expression slowly faded to one of suspicion. "You," she turned to face him, pointing an accusatory finger directly at his face. "You knew, didn't you?"

His grin widened. "I might have known, or perhaps I just had a very good suspicion."

With a sigh of annoyance, she conceded. "Fine, lead the way."

"As you wish." Kai smiled as he took the lead again and backtracked only slightly, before rounding the corner and proceeding along a narrow alley. Several hooded mammals waiting halfway down glanced over at them, hollering, making comments about the trio.

"Hey wolf, is that rabbit for sale?" one of the hooded figures hollered at them, "I haven't had a good rabbit stew in months!

"Hey, you sexy feline," a drunk lion slurred out to them as they passed by, "Wanna head out back and have the best ride of your life?" The lion chuckled to himself before taking a swig from his brown bag.

With a heavy sigh, Leora sped up to Kai and wrapped her paw around his.

"Hey, you leopard slut! Is that mangy mutt your fuck toy?" another male feline shouted out to her as they continued to walk past.

"Wow, these mammals are real assholes," Leora murmured to Kai.

"They are indeed, let's keep moving."

They continued walking for a short while further passing more rude mammals. "Did you have to take the path with the most degenerates?" Jack spoke, less than quietly.

"The fuck did you say?" one of the alleyway ruffians shouted, getting in their way. Beneath his hood, they could see a wolf's snout poking through. He lifted his coat slightly, revealing a very poorly maintained handgun.

"Way to go, Jack. You pissed them off," Leora sneered, turning to the thug. "I'm deeply sorry, he's retarded."

"Oh yeah? I'm sure he is." The wolf glanced at them more closely, then down at their paws, still entwined. "What are you three doing in this part of town?"

"Shopping, believe it or not," Kai responded calmly, slightly squeezing Leora's paw.

Looking them over again, the wolf paused for a slight moment staring first into his eyes, and then into Leora's. With a sigh, the wolf moved to the side. "You watch yourselves, alright?"

"Of course, I'm really sorry about him."

"Just get outta here."

"Let's go," Kai spoke. He continued to the other end of the alley, followed closely by his companions.

As they continued their journey, Jack was quiet in contemplation, ignoring most of the conversation Leora was having with Kai. By the time they finally arrived, he nearly walked into a wall before Kai grabbed his shoulder. "Are you alright?" he inquired.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm doing fine." Jack shook his head slightly and blinked while looking around; behind them was a brick-paved road, and before them was a covered building that resembled a large greenhouse, save for the fact that its walls were made of elaborately carved marble pillars and shingled clay tiles. Inside were numerous rows of various stands filled to the brim with nearly every conceivable vegetable, fruit, and fish.

"Well?" Kai spoke. "What are you in the mood for?"

"How can you drop an open-ended question like that in a place like this and expect an immediate answer?" Jack queried, still glancing all around.

"We were walking for twenty minutes. I figured you could think of something by now. What about you, Leora?" Kai didn't receive a response, so he turned around. "Leora?"

The leopardess was already inspecting the fish stand, pointing at everything in the display and asking an endless barrage of questions.

"She seems happy."

"I hope she is." Kai watched her and her excitement over the exotic fishes and smiled. "I'm glad I got to know her."

"You love her, don't you?"

Kai laughed. "It's a funny thing: we aren't even the same species, and yet… I want to spend all of my time with her."

"I presume that's what the ring in your coat is for?"

"You went through my coat?" Kai's tone became austere.

"No, but you've been fiddling with your outer coat pocket for the entire walk here. You're not one to have a finger on a trigger because you don't need it. You keep your phone in your vest. Any devices or gizmos you carry are tucked inside your vest as well. The entire time I've known you, I've never seen you put anything in your outer pockets. The way you look at her is also quite obvious. There's no other logical conclusion. That, and you confirmed my suspicion."

"Hmph. A reasonable deduction. Yes, that's what the ring is for. Although…"

"You don't know how to propose," Jack finished for him.

"It's not that I don't know. I'm just waiting for the right moment."

"Are you worried she might say no?"

"Far from it, I know her answer will be yes."

"And you are sure of this, because?"

"Right before we found Ichiro, we were at the entrance to the bunker he was in. I got down on my knee to remove a manhole cover blocking the entrance, and Leora mistook my action as a proposal."

"So you want it to be special. Find a scenic overlook and do it over brunch. Hell, even without the scenic overlook if the food's good enough."

"Today?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps not. Think about it a little more. Believe me, it's better to have an imperfect proposal than to not have one at all."

"It'll happen, I'll make sure of it."

Before long, Leora noticed she was alone at the stand. When she looked over her shoulder, she noticed her companions standing a small distance away. She waved her paw to grab their attention and beckoned the duo over. "What do you think?" she asked happily. "Salmon, tuna, or something else?"

"Well, why not both?" Kai asked.

"I couldn't possibly eat that much," Leora stated, chuckling.

"It's not only for you," he responded, winking. He could almost see her blush, but the only thing visible in her expression was her warm smile.

After asking several questions to the stall worker about the quality of the fish Leora had picked out, he eventually purchased a small variety of her choosing. Once the produce was bagged, he made sure to leave a large tip to the bear for putting up with the amount of questions he asked, and the great professionalism he showed towards them. After walking around a little while longer and stopping at a few more places offering unique candies and what not, they finally came upon a stall packed to the brim with fresh produce Jack was looking for.

Jack couldn't see the selection too well, so Kai lifted him onto his shoulders. After the rabbit pointed out several fruits and vegetables, he purchased them, and they were on their way. Naturally, Kai held most of the bags, with Leora holding a single one full of the lighter vegetables at her insistence. The trio returned to Leora's apartment avoiding the alleyways, and before long, Leora was sitting at the counter licking at a lollipop she purchased from one of the stalls, and Jack was lying on the sofa looking over a brochure about an opportunity to work as a farmhand for a large, well-established farm.

"So, how are you gonna prepare that?" Leora inquired, resting her elbows on the counter and leaning on her paws with the lollipop still in her mouth.

"I was thinking seared and sliced thin."

"Like in Edo?"

"Something to that effect, yes."

She smiled wide. "If your iteration is even half as good as what we had at that restaurant, it'll be orgasmic."

"You couldn't have chosen a better word?" Kai asked, washing his paws.

"If I did, you wouldn't have reacted."

He chuckled before bringing out and sharpening a chef's knife. Leora watched in mild terror as he scaled and filleted the fish with expert precision in nearly no time at all. When he finished, he set a pot to boil and began to fry various vegetables of Jack's choosing. Curious, Jack inquired, "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Sometimes part of being a bodyguard is cooking for your charge. In any case, I have good hand-eye coordination and time sense, so it's not like this is anything too special."

"What constitutes special, then?"

"Teppanyaki comes close. I was never good at the knife tricks; not that I'd injure myself, but it's difficult to showboat when your job requires discretion."

"So if I called out tricks, you'd do them?" Leora crooned, folding her paws under her chin.

"Go for it."

"Toss the knife up and catch it."

"That's all?" Kai lightly spun the knife, almost grazing the ceiling, before catching it the same way he held it before.

"That was too easy," Jack butted in. "Can you juggle them?"

"Am I a clown?"

"Fine… do one of those fancy pan flips."

"You mean this?" he flicked his wrist with the pan, and the vegetables inside lightly jumped off the rim, before falling back in. "It's not that hard, you just move it forward and then flick it back so the food catches the wall of the pan and gets tossed."

"I know, how about that trick where you light the pan on fire?" Leora inquired.

"Flambe? I don't know…"

"That's where you put in some cooking liquor in the pan and light it," Jack offered.

"I know what it is, but you don't typically flambe vegetables. Fruit, maybe, but definitely not stir-fry."

The leopardess began to pout a little but still watched nonetheless. "What can you do?"

"The best trick of all." He dropped rice into the pot before decoratively plating up some of the vegetables and placing it before Jack. "The presentation."

"I daresay, I'm impressed," Jack responded. "You could sell skills like this for a lot of money."

"Hence why I was the preferred choice back in my day."

"That's dandy and all, but you're not one to keep a lady waiting, Garrett," Leora piped up, throwing the now barren lollipop stick into the trash, drumming her fingers on the table. Her tail swished slightly from side to side.

"My, what has the world come to?" he responded in faux shock. He sliced a piece of salmon into a small cube. "Here, catch."

"What, with my paws?"

"Open your mouth."

"But Garrett, we're in polite company," she spoke, winking, nonetheless opening her mouth. He chucked the piece of fish and she nearly fell out of her chair trying to catch it.

"Tastes alright," she spoke, still chewing, "But I thought you had the best aim in the world. How did you miss that?"

"I do, but there's nothing quite like seeing pure, unadulterated feline instinct."

She smirked, wiggling her shoulders. "What do you think?"

"Definitely there." He tossed another piece to her, which she snapped up with ruthless efficiency. "Although, you might be getting a bit rusty."

"Well aren't you-"

Before Leora could finish her sentence, Kai's phone rang. He waited until everything was cooked and off of the stove before checking the screen. He didn't recognize the number, and it wasn't on his nearly endless list of contacts. He answered it and held it to his ear. "Hello?" he spoke.

"You must be Garrett Sinclair." The voice had a very faint, yet somewhat recognizable accent. "Although I must admit, I never fully expected you to survive, not after I heard that every government in the world wanted you dead."

"Who are you?" Kai questioned, quickly yet quietly making his way to the closet wherefrom he pulled out a case. Inside, he found and assembled his helical railgun. "You've spoken only of me, and you have yet to introduce yourself."

"A kidnapper like you does not deserve pleasantries. I knew you betrayed humanity for profit, but I could scarcely have imagined you would stoop this low."

"Do not pretend the moral high ground. The only men I was acquainted with all contributed to humanity's sinking boat. Regardless, I am no kidnapper, I-"

"I do not care for your exiguous justifications. See to it that the infant and his mother are at the address in your note by the time I arrive, or you will come to know the anger of a gentle man."

"What position are you in to make demands, of me no less? You of all people must know that the angry man thinks he can do more than he can."

"I am far more observant than you might think. I could smell the scent of spilled blood, on top of that presumably the cologne of the man who spilled it, and a leopardess in the air. I have the patience and the wherewithal to locate her," the voice threatened. Kai tightened his grip on the phone and opened the breech of his railgun, chambering a tungsten slug. "Ten minutes. Bring the boy."

Before Kai could respond, the call ended. He nearly crushed the cellphone in his hands, before realizing he had almost no time. He dialed Achernar on his cell and retrieved the ansible from his coat pocket to call Arcturus. As soon as both calls were placed, he slung the weapon on the table over his shoulder.

"Leora, I forbid you from leaving," he commanded, opening the door.

"Why not? Garrett, what's wrong with-"

"Not now!" he barked, interrupting her. He raced out the door, immediately leaping to the adjacent rooftop. The second call was answered before the first, so he held the ansible to his ear.

"What's-" Arcturus began, before being cut off.

"No time to explain. Where are you?"

"Home, south side of the city. What's wrong?"

"Who do you have near the lodge?"

"A platoon of twenty, why?"

"Block off the entrance, let no one past." By this time, Achernar picked up, but Kai continued his message to Arcturus. "If anyone tries to get past without your approval, shoot."

"What's wrong?!" the bear queried again, this time with a sense of urgency.

"Someone wants the infant, and they have the means to take him."

"I'll radio ahead. I expect you to help them when you arrive." Arcturus hung up, and Kai dialed Grace on the ansible, before holding the cellphone to his ear.

"Achernar, you have ten minutes to barricade yourself in."

"Why?" came the confused response.

"Just do as I say!"

"Unfortunately there isn't really anything I can do. I'm sure I can cut the power to the lift, but the stairs are always open for safety reasons."

"Block the stairs with shelves then!"

"You had us secure them to the floor. I couldn't move them in their current state, and it would take more than ten minutes to make them movable, possibly even twenty in my state."

"Can you hide?"

"I'm not sure there is a place better than here. Again, why?" The giraffe's voice was filled with worry.

"Someone is coming for the infant. Can you find a weapon, anything to defend yourselves with?"

There was brief fumbling on the other end of the line, before Achernar eventually responded simply, "No."

"Damn! No matter what happens, keep Ichiro safe. I'm on my way."

"Please, hurry."

Kai checked the ansible; still no response. He decided to dial Sirius on his phone. Several rings later, the wolf picked up. "Sirius, no time to explain, where is Grace?"

"I'm with her right now, why?"

"Put her on."

Moments later, he heard a more feminine voice. "What's up?"

"Grace, who do you have that you can get to the lodge in less than eight minutes?"

"Why?"

"Someone wants Ichiro."

"I only have maybe four agents, Arcturus was doing most of the security detail. I can have another ten in twenty minutes."

"It might be too late then, but do what you can."

"Let me make some calls." She hung up, and Kai stowed both his phone and the ansible. After two minutes of leaping the rooftops Downtown, he arrived at the wall adjacent the Rainforest District. It was insurmountable even for him, so he instead leaped to a maintenance walkway and sprinted into the internal structure. Inside, pipes far thicker than himself were carrying water across the entire length of the wall, and power cables heated the water and the air to provide the tropical climate. They wound all about the tunnel lit only by dim and sparsely located incandescent bulbs, making it difficult for him to race through, even with his unique sense of sight; he ended up galloping along the walls more often than not to avoid tripping over the massive pipes running haphazardly along the floor. When he exited the other end, he leaped as far as his legs would take him, and barely managed to land on a thick tree branch. His front paws slipped on the very slick surface, but he recovered with his hind paws, kicking off the instant he had secure footing.

He continued bounding from tree to tree, reaching the opposite wall leading out of the city in under a minute. This time he could see no maintenance walkways, so he instead jumped down to the street and raced through the ground tunnel. Even though he was in plain view, he could not afford to worry about being noticed; the onlookers hardly had time to see him before he was gone, and most didn't even notice until he brushed past.

Three minutes to make seven miles. Kai cursed the traffic as he weaved between the cars racing to and from the city; he would have gladly raced on the shoulder of the road, save for the fact that there wasn't one. He nearly caused several accidents, but he didn't care.

Two minutes; corn fields soon surrounded him, but he still had five miles. He tried to run faster, but his railgun began bumping against him with every leap and bound, and he didn't want the strap breaking on him.

Two agonizing minutes later, he could see the hidden driveway in the distance. As it got closer and closer, he felt more and more uneasy; he couldn't see any of Arcturus' soldiers, nor any of Grace's agents. When he reached the driveway, he stood upright and swung his railgun out, holding it up to his shoulder as he slowed to a practical crawl, darting his eyes from left to right, scanning for any threats.

At the top of the hill, he found two dozen mammals of various species and sizes strewn about; some were bloodied and others weren't, but all of them incapacitated and lying in a quickly growing pool of blood. The front door was broken down, and inside, several members of the court were prone or supine on the floor, also incapacitated.

Kai bolted down the stairs, and when he threw the doors at the bottom open, he initially saw no one. He strafed past Achernar's office, but there was no one there. However, at the back of the room, he found a very bloodied Achernar huddled in the corner. Standing menacingly before him were a couple of considerably smaller forms: one wolf, and one poorly disguised human attempting to take the form of a wolf, the latter of which held Ichiro.

"I will ask you again," the human spoke, his voice laden with an oriental accent, somewhat resembling Japanese, yet strangely different. "Where is my wife?!"

Achernar slowly raised his head, and when he saw Kai, his eyes shot wide open. "Pr-Procyon!"

The obvious human immediately turned to face him and pointed a small handgun in his direction, but the wolf continued to watch the giraffe.

"Hands up!" Kai shouted, aiming his railgun at them.

"Don't shoot, Hiro," the wolf spoke calmly, before slowly turning around. "It's been a long time, Kai. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

"Give me the boy," Kai demanded, retraining his weapon on the wolf. "I didn't save him only for some assholes to steal him away!"

"Monster! Kidnapper!" the man shouted. "Where is my wife?!"

"He is Garrett the Vicious, words will not faze him, Hiro." The wolf stepped forwards. "Although, I find it intriguing that you say you 'supposedly' saved him. I assume you have a valid explanation for bringing Ichiro here? Where is his mother?"

"First and foremost, who are you?"

"You are in no position to make demands of me. Where is the boy's mother?"

"And you seem to forget that I have a railgun and I won't miss. I'll ask again, who are you?"

"I will not reveal my name until you answer my questions, Garrett."

Kai pondered for only a second, "She died. I gave her a proper burial."

The man cried out before cocking the gun and firing; the wolf raised the man's arm to the ceiling only a moment prior, and after the casing hit the floor, he dropped the weapon and fell to his knees, wailing. "Murderer!"

"The Garrett I know doesn't kill innocent women," the wolf stated, furrowing his brow. He helped the man up, before sitting him in a chair and calming him down. "Explain. Now."

"A name, give me your name!" Kai shouted.

The wolf sighed. "And you promise to recount your tale if I do?"

"Yes."

"Very well, then. you may call me Jin-Roh."

"Jin…"

"And no, I am not _that_ Jin-Roh."

"Then who is behind this mask?"

"An old friend."

"I am not saying a word until you give me your real name."

Jin-Roh leaped at Kai and kicked his knee, before putting him in a headlock. Kai responded by bending sharply and throwing him over his shoulder, aiming a strike at the wolf's neck. The wolf dodged, dragging Kai down to the ground and putting him into a rear naked choke. They struggled for nearly a minute exchanging heavy blows before Jin-Roh stuck a knife into Kai's leg and kicked him away. "That, my dear friend, is for me to know." Kai stood, yanked the knife out, and dropped it on the floor. The wolf watched in amazement as the wound began to steam, and very quickly stopped bleeding. "That's… that's not possible."

"That was stupid of you. You know I could have shot, right?"

"Showboating, as usual, Garrett. You went easy on me."

"Back to the topic of your name. By your accent, you are either Vitya or Andrei. You cannot be Vitya, so you must be the latter."

"Hmph. Lucky guess," Jin-Roh grumbled.

Kai chuckled giving way to a guffaw. "I am amazed that you are still alive." He walked over and opened his arms up to embrace his old friend. Jin-Roh hugged him and patted him on the back before taking Ichiro, now bawling from the loud noise, from Hiro.

"H-how can you go from fighting to loving?" Achernar asked meekly, still shocked and afraid of the events that just unfolded.

"Human nature," Kai responded, smiling.

"I am curious, how did you know I wasn't Vitya?" Jin-Roh inquired, calming the crying infant.

"Someone, or at least someone claiming to be him, showed up two days ago and cut my throat."

"Did he walk with a limp? Old disguise, black wolf with red eyes?" Jin-Roh questioned. Kai nodded. "That was not Vitya." Jin-Roh started to growl and Ichiro began to cry louder, prompting him to stop. "My apologies."

"Who was it then?"

"Taemur."

"He lives, too?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Jin-Roh walked over to the nearest table and leaned against it, getting comfortable. "Well, I'm ready to hear your story. First, why did you bring Ichiro here?"

"Leora and I… Leora, rather, found his mother dead. The cause was an aneurysm." Kai walked over to the still speechless Achernar and began tending his wounds. "We found Ichiro first, but we decided to wait until someone came back. Of the two jars of baby food we found, only one was stale, so we figured someone had to be caring for him. When we discovered her, we decided to take him here. In the log, I read that you took his father to the East and the rest… Well, we've kept him a secret, even to most of the Astral Court."

"Is that what this place is?" Jin-Roh looked around.

"Yes. I decided to follow the log, and we visited Japan. Tokyo, rather. After some… lengthy shenanigans, we entered the old robotics lab in Tokyo."

"I noticed that you met Serenity."

"He spoke in riddles, telling me I wouldn't need to follow his maps. As soon as I boarded the plane with bearing to Hiroshima, I got a call. Ichiro had been poisoned."

Jin-Roh slammed his fist on the table, leaving a sizable dent in the metal. "Damn that monster," he seethed. "Why didn't Serenity send you here? If he knew Ichiro was ill, then it should have been obvious to send you in the fastest way possible."

"I already traveled here the day prior to stop the city from falling into chaos."

"So?"

Kai raised his brow. "Serenity told me I could only make one round trip a year."

Jin-Roh clenched his fist and visibly shook, his eyes showing many emotions, but nonetheless composed himself. "I have much to show you, then. Please, continue."

"I returned, and after tending to Ichiro, a man came and introduced himself as Vitya. I can't imagine why Taemur would lie and say he was Vitya."

"He wants to draw him out of hiding. No one knows where he is."

"So Vitya _is_ alive… However, why would he do that? How would a plan like that draw him out?"

"Their feud is a long story, the details of which would best be explained by them. However, I can only guess that it wasn't to find Vitya, it was to get back at you."

"I am harder to kill than that. In any case, I have satellite surveillance and thousands of mammals searching the East for traces of his whereabouts."

"He's near Old Philly. Garrett, you have to call off that search. Mammals cannot know what is really behind those clouds over the Himalayas."

"I will. However, what's the plan, then? How can we find one man with just a city to go by?" Kai questioned.

"He cannot escape me, not after what he has done here."

"Allow me to accompany you, please," Kai urged. "I want my revenge, and after that, I want to see the rest of my kind."

Jin-Roh contemplated the proposition for a very long time. "Very well. Where will Hiro be safe?"

"I know a place in the city."

"In the city? It's dangerous, he'd stick out like a sore thumb."

"I did much the same before I had this new disguise, and no one so much as batted an eye. In any case, if we run into trouble, there's always the two of us."

"Where is this place?"

"An apartment. More accurately, my companion's apartment."

"Hiding in plain sight, eh? Very well, take us there."

"W-wait!" Achernar spoke, struggling to sit upright. "May I… May I say goodbye to Ichiro?"

The man looked from his son to the giraffe, and back again. "If what he says is true, I suppose I owe his life to you. I will allow it."

Achernar reached a hoof up and gently cradled the infant's head. "I'll miss you," he crooned. "Live well, Ichiro."

"Thank you for caring for him in my absence. It is enough that my wife died, but I could not bear to lose him as well."

"If you ever need anything, please visit. I would be glad to have you as company, even if you did add some new scars."

"I will keep it in mind."

"Let us go," Jin-Roh spoke, heading to the door. "We have no time to waste." He, Kai, and Hiro all proceeded out of the lodge, where they found Grace's reinforcements tending to the fallen. The second the trio walked out, they all drew their guns. In the back of the crowd, Kai noticed Grace, resting most of her weight on a crutch.

"Stand down!" she cried out, once she recognized him. Quickly, she hobbled up and embraced him with one arm, before inspecting the other two. "Who're they?" she asked quite cautiously.

"You shouldn't be out of the hospital, Grace."

"Eh, it's a flesh wound. Really though, who are they?"

Kai glanced at them; Jin-Roh's expression was very stern, and Hiro cowered behind him, hiding Ichiro in a blanket. "Friends. I'll tell you more when you get back to the hospital."

Grace grumbled, before making her way past the agents and into a car; more precisely, that of Sirius' chauffeur. "Get in."

They entered after her; Grace took the front seat, while they took the back, Ichiro held tightly by his father. "Take us to the hospital," Kai told the driver.

"Hold up, not so fast," Grace countered. "Take me home."

"The hospital and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Well then, you'll just have to be dissatisfied," she responded, flashing a smug grin. "Besides, a certain leopardess and her rabbit are already waiting there, and I believe she has a few strong words for you."

"What part of 'I forbid you from leaving' was unclear? Did I stutter?"

"I concur with the wolf, I'm afraid," Jin-Roh interjected. "I imagine she holds power and judging by how well trained the agents were, being by her would logically be safer."

"So _you_ were the one that knocked them all out," Grace spoke. "My agents and soldiers on top of that, and you didn't even take a single hit. Not even Garrett is that good."

Jin-Roh laughed. "No, Garrett was always our superior."

"I've never seen him do anything remotely close to that."

"I prefer to do my killing from the shadows, thank you very much," Kai spoke bitterly. The driver was visibly unnerved but continued along his route nonetheless. "Now Jin, I told you my tale. How about yours?"

"Oh?"

"How did you survive? I was fairly certain you were in Saigon when the bomb went off."

"Yeah, in a bunker."

"How long did you wait before returning to the surface?"

"A year after the seismic activity from the bombs stopped."

"But those bombs were salted, how did you deal with the radiation?"

"The scientists I was with saturated my bones with strontium so they wouldn't take on other heavy metals, and by then the radiation had died down to the point where external exposure wouldn't kill me. Either way, we got a transmission from another bunker that needed water and air filters and seeing how I was the only one who could make the trip, I went. Before long, I ended up transporting supplies from bunker to bunker. Incidentally, when most of them figured out who I was, they threatened me and tried to fight me."

"Ingrates."

"Very much so, but I helped out where I could nonetheless. I spent most of my time in Siberia, under a pseudonym of course, and ended up injuring myself with a particularly nasty avalanche. I had to spend nearly ten months holed up in one bunker, and that's how I found Vitya."

"How did he live?"

"He didn't say. Either way, he told me he was going to leave for America, and that I should continue ferrying supplies, and eventually people. So, I did."

"What about Serenity?"

"That's a tricky detail. Centuries later Vitya had found me in Hiroshima, and he brought Taemur, of all people. At this point, they figured you had to be dead, but I suspected Oz wouldn't let you die that easily. We spent two days trying to find some semblance of relaxation, but of course, it was interrupted by a message from Tokyo. It said that they needed assistance, so the three of us went."

"What kind of assistance?"

"The message didn't specify. By this point, getting around was tricky; mammals had already started to form towns and villages, and the best we could do to avoid too much attention was a disguise projector. After two days of skirting locals, we arrived at Edo castle and descended to the old robotics lab. The three of us tried opening the door, but the scanner didn't seem to work; Taemur smashed it in frustration, which in hindsight wasn't a very smart thing to do, but after he did, the door opened." Jin-Roh gazed into the distance, seemingly in a trance, but he continued his story. "Naturally, who would we find but Serenity?"

"Was there anyone else in the bunker?"

Jin-Roh shook his head. "No, they had long since died. We would have left, but Serenity locked us in. He told us that our choices were to join the rest of the people in EDEN, or spend eternity as its sentinels, ensuring its safety." He smirked. "Of course, Vitya, being the wisest of us all, gave a counteroffer. A game of chess. If he won, we would have our freedom and anything he wished."

"And if he lost?"

"Serenity would claim his body. It was a frightening proposition. Being confined to physical hardware was the only thing that kept Serenity from the outside world. However, Vitya won, against all odds." Jin-Roh chuckled. "Let me tell you, Serenity was pissed. However, a deal was a deal. We got our freedom. Afterwards, to prevent anyone else from falling into the same trap, Vitya imposed very strict rules as to what Serenity could and could not do."

"That explains why Serenity was merely jovial when we met."

"Precisely. Our freedom was ensured, but we still had yet to name what we desired. I asked for a disguise so that I could travel the world freely without attracting attention. Vitya approved it, so Serenity turned me into what I am and offered the same to the others. Vitya accepted, Taemur refused."

"Why?"

"He valued 'human purity' over practicality. When Serenity asked him what he wanted, he demanded power. Indomitable power over space and time; if Serenity had it, he wanted it. Serenity merely laughed and turned to Vitya, who denied the request. I imagine this was the spark that lit their bitter feud, but I digress. I then asked for equipment and other supplies. After I got what I requested, I left; Taemur left with me, empty-handed and outraged, while Vitya stayed behind."

"Was that the last you saw of him?" Kai asked.

"No," Jin-Roh answered. "After everything he had been through, he just wanted a normal life. He found himself someone that was willing to spend time with him, and he eventually got settled. Taemur, however, had not forgotten about the events that transpired in Tokyo those many years ago. He wanted revenge, so he killed Vitya's new wife while he was away."

Kai clenched his fists. "That Bastard."

"I thought so, too, but Taemur forgot about one thing: Vitya is a master tactician, beyond even our comprehension, and he wouldn't let the crime go unpunished. He traveled back to the Himalayas, where Taemur had claimed residence, and lay in wait. When Taemur had left for a walk in the mountains, as he usually did whenever he tired of living in his bunker, Vitya followed him. Taemur had eventually stopped at an overlook, at which point Vitya confronted him. I wish I could say Taemur fought valiantly, but before he even realized who was before him, Vitya took his leg off with a railgun. As he lay, bleeding out on the snow, Vitya spoke the most insulting words of all: 'This revenge feels hollow. I'm sorry'. After that, Taemur laid there for three days before the guards from his bunker found him. No one has seen Vitya since."

Kai held his head low but nonetheless spoke. "The past is in the past, I suppose. Tell me, are the legends about you true?"

"Which legends?"

"How you single-handedly held off a horde of Manchurian wolves from Tokyo?"

"It's exaggerated, but yes, I headed the small group that fended them off. Unfortunately, I was the only survivor, which probably lead to most of the rumors."

"And you fought with a bow and a sword?"

"I had my sidearm, but I realized it would be safer to refrain from shooting my very limited supply of bullets unless absolutely necessary, so I took a bow."

"With a limited supply of arrows?"

"It wasn't how many arrows since I could easily find more on the battlefield, but the integrity of the bow which failed me. I managed to shoot some two-hundred arrows before the longbow snapped, so I picked up a sword and started using that instead."

"And you used your claws after the sword dulled?"

"What? No, whenever my current sword failed, I just picked up another."

The car had stopped, and they looked through the window: they were at Sirius' and Grace's manor. "Home, sweet home," Grace spoke, exiting the car. The trio followed her, and before long, they were at the front door. Rather than fish for her keys, Grace knocked. Sirius opened the door and hugged his wife, before staring at Jin-Roh.

"Hello?" he spoke, confused. "Who's…" He looked down and noticed Hiro had five fingers and grinned brightly. "Come on in!" he beckoned, allowing them passage. "So, what brings another human to my abode?"

"Grace," Kai bluntly answered.

"Hey, if you were cooped up in a hospital for two days, you'd want out, too," Grace retorted, before staring at Jin-Roh. Before long, nearly everyone's gaze was on him as he inspected the home.

"Tell me, how secure is this location?" he inquired.

"Very, we've got a security detail," Grace responded.

"Perhaps, then, Hiro could stay with you? I can't imagine a safer place, and I somehow doubt Garrett's companion's apartment is up for the task."

"I heard that!" came a shout from upstairs. Leora quickly descended, as did Jack, before both stared intently at the newcomers. "Garrett?"

"Yes?" Kai responded, stepping forward. She slapped him across the face. "What the hell, Leora?"

"That's for running off and forbidding me from leaving!"

"It was a necessary precaution."

"He speaks the truth," Jin-Roh interjected.

"Who the hell are you?" Leora questioned, inspecting every facet of his form. "More importantly, who the hell is the human?"

Jin-Roh glared at Kai. "You said no one noticed you when you wore that disguise."

Kai shrugged. "I never said it was perfect."

"No matter, I am Jin-Roh."

Sirius, Grace, and Leora all gasped, while Jack, having been left out of the loop, didn't react. " _The_ Jin-Roh?" Leora asked, nearly in a whisper.

"The one and same."

"Do you work for Vitya?"

"That wasn't Vitya," Kai piped in. "It was an imposter."

"To add on," Jin-Roh continued, "No, I do not work for any one man."

"Never mind that," Sirius spoke. "You must be famished! Would you like to eat?"

"I could eat," Jin-Roh admitted. "Hiro?"

The man nodded.

"It's settled, then!" Sirius spoke cheerfully. "Please, come on through."

Everyone proceeded save for Hiro, who took the time to remove his shoes. They all sat at the dining room table, and before long, Sirius placed before them several roasted chickens as well as a fried turkey; Jack declined Grace's offer of salad, insisting he wasn't hungry. Hiro stared in amazement at the food, and his mouth began to water.

"Hungry?" Grace asked, smiling.

"No, it's just…" Hiro started, at a loss for words. "I have never seen food like this."

"What do you mean? No poultry where you're from?"

"There is not much of anything where I'm from," Hiro corrected. "I have subsisted on gruel and meager portions of freeze-packed food for my entire life."

"Well…" There was an awkward silence in the air before Grace finally continued. "I hope you enjoy your first taste of real food."

"I'm sure I will." Hiro smiled weakly and placed a piece of everything on his plate. Everyone else followed suit, and before long, they were eating. Nearly the entire time, Sirius asked questions to Jin-Roh and Hiro; he inquired of their origin, culture, and everything else he could think of. Jin-Roh answered happily, but Hiro more often than not gave one or two word answers before resuming his meal.

"I'd hate to interrupt," Jin-Roh spoke softly, "But I have a request for you."

"Oh?" Sirius inquired, one ear raised.

"Could you watch over Hiro in my absence?"

"Absence?"

"I have to find the man who attacked you. It is far too dangerous for Hiro, and I am unable to return to Toronto or Tokyo without my only lead possibly vanishing. Please, I implore you."

"I suppose we could…" Sirius began, glancing over at Grace.

"We would be honored," she finished.

"I guess it's settled, then," Jin-Roh said sternly. "Garrett?"

Kai nodded, and they both stood and headed for the door.

"Garrett, wait!" Leora shouted, running to his side. "Where are you going?"

"Please trust me when I say it's not safe."

"I live for danger, you know that."

"Not like this," he responded solemnly. "Watch over Hiro. You are the only mammals I trust for this task. Oh, and before I forget, could you and Grace pay a visit to ZSS and tell them to call off their search?"

Leora grumbled but begrudgingly gave her word that she would stay.

"Time is wasting, Garrett," Jin-Roh reminded, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Forgive me, Leora, but this is something I have to do without you."

"You had best believe that when you get back, we are going to have a very long talk about you abandoning me for your own adventures."

"I understand. Goodbye, kitten. I'll be back as soon as I can." Kai kissed her forehead and hugged her, before standing by Jin-Roh's side. The duo exited, and Jin-Roh took off. Kai followed, and they ran off into the distance. Leora watched as they soon became specs in the distance, and then vanished from her view entirely. When she was sure he was gone, she withdrew a ring from her pocket, turning it over in her paw before gripping it tightly.

"Please be safe."


	16. Chapter 16

Kai and Jin-Roh raced along the grassy plains southwest of the city, the latter leading the way, both leaving trails through the various fields of cereals. The only noises to be heard for miles were the occasional bird chirp, the pitter-patter of their paws on the dirt, and their quiet, methodical breathing.

After nearly forty minutes of quiet running, Jin-Roh eventually slowed to a halt and stood upright, stretching. Kai stood as well.

"Why have we stopped?" Kai asked, gripping the handle of his pistol.

"Patience, friend." Jin-Roh retrieved his ansible and made a call. "Taemur."

"Ah, I never expected you to call again," came a voice from the device.

"I've delivered Hiro to Toronto. Where are you?" Jin-Roh responded.

"Oh?"

"What do you mean, oh?"

"Erm… nothing. I take it you're ready to come get me?"

"Unless you don't need it anymore."

"Forty North by seventy-five and unity West."

"Give me an hour." He hung up and glanced at the sky. "We're not far now, Kai."

"Maybe ten minutes away. Why did you ask for an hour?"

"What, the greatest general to ever have lived doesn't need a plan?" Jin-Roh gave a half-assed smirked before furrowing his brow. "He poisoned an infant as a means to an end. I've let his antics slide before, but no more."

"I will not kill him until I know his tale."

"I never said kill him," Jin-Roh clarified. "Merely hold him accountable."

"A solid end goal," Kai answered. "However, if he is half as smart as I remember, he would immediately have suspected a trap from your call. He knows Ichiro isn't in Toronto, and that there's no way in hell you could have overlooked the fact."

"So what are you saying?"

"He probably suspected this would happen even before you realized Ichiro was gone. With all of the time he had to prepare, we could very well be walking into a trap. Even with the two of us, it is an inadvisable strategy."

Jin-Roh closed his eyes in contemplation. "In that case, a first strike."

"Not necessarily."

"What other option is there?"

"If it comes to it, we will strike with overwhelming force, but if we can lay a counter-trap, it would allow us to lull him into a false sense of security before incapacitating him. If we play our cards right, we can force him to make a mistake."

"That's a very big _if_ , Garrett. And, if I'm not mistaken, your plans haven't been very good lately."

Kai scowled. "Do you have a plan, then?"

"You have your railgun and I have my sidearm. He won't escape."

"And how, exactly, do you expect him to come out?"

"That's my job."

"He won't believe you."

"I don't expect him to."

"You think you're faster on the draw?"

"I know I am," Jin-Roh answered, certain of himself. "Even if I'm not, I don't expect him to be far enough that I can't use my fists."

"You shouldn't rely on close quarters combat. It's a losing strategy," Kai warned, taking several steps forward. "Either way we play it, if we give him the full hour, we will lose. I say we figure out a better plan when we find out what situation he is in."

"And the fallback?"

"Try not to kill him."

"Let me lead the way, then. I know how you like to overdo things."

Kai chuckled but motioned for Jin-Roh to take the lead. He did, and before long the pair set off again. They exited the wheat field and continued along a rather narrow dirt road surrounded by a thick treeline. The quality of the road slowly improved the further along they got before it eventually became paved. A minute later, the treeline cleared up and they could see a large plume of smoke rising in the distance.

"Troubling," Kai observed, slowing slightly. "Should we check it out?"

"I doubt it's Taemur."

"Why else would a barn be on fire out here?"

"Some dumbass farmer dropped a lantern?"

"With coordinates as vague as forty by seventy-five point one, he could very well be anywhere in this stretch of land."

"You're not technically wrong."

"I'm not wrong at all." Kai stopped completely, and Jin-Roh stopped several paces later. "I'm going to investigate."

"Alone?"

"No, you're coming along."

Jin-Roh rolled his eyes but changed his direction to the plume of smoke. "You make a _very_ compelling argument. And by compelling, I mean not at all."

Kai picked up after him. "Yet you still listen to me."

"If you were anyone else, I wouldn't have. You have experience."

Kai smiled at the sentiment. As they approached the source of the dense black smoke they saw a barn up in flames surrounded by onlookers. What little attempt they made to put out the fire was feeble and insufficient; there were no fire hydrants or other significant sources of water, only a well that they drew from one bucket at a time.

The duo stood upright and approached the barn before one of the bulls in the crowd held them back. "Stop, there's nothing to save! Don't risk your hides for nothing!"

They watched with the crowd as the amount of charred wood on the side grew, before turning to find the sheriff. When Kai tried to hail his attention he ignored the duo, instead issuing orders to the only other officer on the scene as well as updating dispatch through his radio. Jin-Roh eventually tugged at the bison's shirt.

"What is…" The sheriff trailed off, looking them up and down. "Who are you? We don't ever get wolves out here."

"We're tracking a fugitive. Tell me, who started this fire?" Kai immediately asked.

"Who? It was most likely improperly stored chemicals. Before you got here, the fire was purple, meaning the owner must have kept potassium permanganate next to his antifreeze."

"And what, the two magically mixed?" Jin-Roh questioned skeptically. "Someone mixed them. The only question now is, where did he go?"

"I won't pretend to understand what two federal dogs are after this far from the city, but I don't have any clues to offer."

"Perhaps any mysterious mammal sightings in the area?" Kai followed up, glancing at the surrounding plains; there was no hint of anyone passing through, other than the crowd that stood there.

"None that I've heard of."

"In that case, I hope you don't mind that we take a look around."

"By all means."

Kai walked towards the barn, brushing away anyone who tried to stop him. When he came close he zipped his coat and threw his hood up before slowly proceeding into the inferno. Inside, it was difficult to see, and he could feel some of his uncovered fur singeing slightly, but he proceeded to the apparent source of the blaze. A steel tin lay across a workbench with several holes stabbed through the side; the holes leaked a sweet smelling, off-green liquid, but the label was too burnt to read. He could also see a faint hint of lilac flames around the corners of the table. A further inspection revealed a haphazard scattering of purple crystals which set a trail that led to a partly collapsed archway. At the end of the trail, he saw a shattered glass bottle that contained the rest of the powder.

The fire had not yet heated the container, so he picked it up to inspect it; he saw very human fingerprints in the purple smudges on the bottle. Taemur had caused the fire, but there was no way to tell where he had gone. Kai thought he saw a trail through the other end of the barn, but the trail died shortly before the exit. He turned back and returned, bottle in hand, to Jin-Roh; nearly everyone tried to swarm him to check if he was alright, but the sheriff held them at bay.

"You feds are beyond insane," he muttered. "Walking slowly into a burning barn for a bottle."

"This fire was caused by our fugitive," Kai answered, handing the bottle to Jin-Roh to inspect. He sniffed at the bottle and scowled. Before long, he wiped the bottle clean and dropped it to the floor.

"Any other leads?" Jin-Roh asked, facing Kai. "The permanganate was too impure to get anything, the smell was overwhelming."

"No."

"We should fan out, then. It's impossible that there's no trail."

"There's nothing to look for. He wouldn't be so stupid as to track through any wet ground, and there's obviously no scent to be had, even if there was no smoke."

"So you're suggesting that we just sit here and hope for something to turn up?"

"He could be a dozen miles away by now. If we just run off blindly hoping to find him, he could return to the city."

"We can't just sit here, Kai."

"I suppose we could spend a couple of hours looking. After that, it would be a safer bet to just return. He doesn't pose a threat if he's not here, and he wouldn't dare fire off any missiles."

"He doesn't possess any."

Kai breathed a sigh of relief. "I never thought I'd say this, but thank God."

"The day you take up religion is the day the world ends."

He chuckled but turned to the sheriff. "How many officers can you spare to comb the area?"

"I'm afraid it's just me and my partner, but we have to make sure this fire doesn't spread."

"As if you'd be able to stop it," Jin-Roh muttered, but the sheriff didn't hear him.

"Is there anyone you can radio?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Kai listened as the radio was eerily silent. "You really don't get much crime here, do you?" The sheriff shook his head.

The radio suddenly buzzed to life. "Fire crews are twenty minutes out," said the dispatcher, before appending, "And there's a farmer who won't stop calling."

"Is he in danger?" the sheriff responded into the receiver. "Is his home on fire?"

"Neither sir, but-"

"Then it's not a priority of mine."

"What is it?" Kai asked, but the sheriff brushed him away. He took the radio and repeated his question for the dispatcher while Jin-Roh held the bison at bay.

"Who is this?"

"ZBI Special Agent Sinclaw."

"A special agent? It's not really worth your time, I'm sure."

"Just spit it out."

"Some loony keeps calling about an alien in his barn. I figured if the fire had died out the sheriff might have been able to swing by and knock some sense into him, but-"

"Where is the caller?"

"The only farm on Nine Mile Road."

"Where is that?" Kai asked of the sheriff, returning the handset.

"Straight down that road for a little under twelve miles," he responded, pointing off into the distance.

"Come, Roh." The duo broke into a gallop down the road, leaving the puzzled sheriff scratching his head at the two strangers who had disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.

* * *

 **Zootopia  
** **Tundratown**

Leora paced back and forth as Grace sat in a nearby chair, offering ideas. "Ask him out to a fine restaurant."

"No," Leora responded, "He's not into restaurants."

"He's into spending time with you."

"True." Leora stopped momentarily, glancing out the window at the clouds. "But what restaurant is good enough for him?"

"Just take him out somewhere nice. I'm sure he'll pick up the tab."

"No, it's not that. You have to remember, he owned a third of the world in his youth. I highly doubt anywhere in the city is up to that challenge."

"Cook something, then."

"I can't cook."

Grace laughed. "What sort of leopardess can't cook? And you want to be his wife?"

"Can you cook?" Leora retorted, paws on hips. Grace was silent. "I thought not."

"Still, just look up a recipe. Something easy, something you can't fuck up. What's his favorite food?"

"Kobe beef sirloin, seared medium rare with mustard seed and black garlic, topped with sauteed mushrooms and foie gras, on a bed of spinach, all topped with beluga caviar."

"What's his second favorite food?" Grace asked, with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Beef Wellington."

"What's the next highest that doesn't require mammal as an ingredient?"

"Let me think…" Leora thought deeply; she had hardly heard of him talk of foods that didn't involve some form of mammal. Her mind immediately skipped steaks, breezed past calves, ignored liver, and yet, could come up with almost nothing. The only food she came up with was herb roasted salmon, but that was only because she listed it as her favorite food. "I don't know. He always insisted he enjoyed my favorite food."

"Then he's just trying to be friendly with you. Come on, just make him anything, I'm sure he'll eat it."

"But nothing I like is good enough! I'm just some common slum leopardess with no taste for haute cuisine."

"You're missing the point. He'll gladly eat anything you make him, even if it's an inedible brick. He loves being with you, and he'll do anything he can to make sure he's with you."

"Yeah, and yet he left just like that."

"Don't be upset," Grace consoled, patting Leora on the shoulder. "He has to take care of some things."

"I want to be with him, I told him I wanted to be with him, and yet he just… leaves me here."

"You know him. He'll chase danger and conquer it. I'm ninety-nine percent certain that what qualifies as a danger for him is lethal for you. Please don't think too much of it."

"I know I shouldn't always be with him, but when I ask, I expect to."

"You're becoming a basic bitch, Leora."

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused." Grace laughed at her own joke. "In all seriousness, you have to expect that he'll need independence sometimes. He loves spending time with you, but he still needs to be able to act on his own."

Leora rolled her eyes. "One of these days I won't be able to go on adventures anymore, and then what? Is he going to regret his decisions?"

"I'm sure he will."

"But still, how do I propose?"

Grace's eyes lit up and she grinned widely. "That's the real question. A classic is to ask the waiter to put the ring in a glass of champagne and distract him when it arrives."

Leora gave a look of disappointment. "You and I both know that will never work. Where would I get the opportunity to ask the waiter without him knowing, and even if I did, how could I prevent him from noticing? He once noticed someone else pulling that same trick about a minute before it even happened."

"How about you just invite him to the park with a picnic basket and pop the question?"

"But that still doesn't feel satisfying."

Grace furrowed her brow. "What answer are you looking for, then?"

"I just want to know how I can make this the best moment of both of our lives."

"He's lived nearly fifty times longer than I could ever hope to, probably fifty times longer than you could ever hope to, either. I'm not entirely sure you can make it the best moment of his life." Leora dropped her ears and nearly teared up. "Oh hey, cheer up! I didn't mean that in the literal sense. I'm just saying you should get what you can; don't wait forever trying to make it perfect. Ian took a knee just after I accepted the position of head of ZSS. It wasn't fancy, nor was it ceremonious, but I loved it nonetheless."

"I suppose…"

"And hey, if it makes a difference, I totally thought he was a bum when he did it."

"That doesn't really, especially since I'm the one proposing."

"You did just mention that you think you're a slum leopardess with no taste."

Leora smiled and gently punched Grace's shoulder. "You crack me up."

"I wasn't joking."

"Well, how about this: you help me propose, and I'll see if I can't get you something human for that gunshot wound of yours."

Grace adopted a disappointed facade. "You're saying you wouldn't help me otherwise? Do you have any idea how much this hurts?"

"I dunno, how much?" Leora poked Grace in the ribs and Grace responded by whacking Leora over the head with her crutch.

"Can you not?" she spoke, voice raised.

Leora chuckled. "Sorry."

"Fine, I'll help. I'll pretend you didn't just do that."

"Thanks."

"Hey, don't mention it." Grace checked the clock. "Say, we've been brainstorming for a while, you should probably actually go to ZSS and make sure they stop their search."

"Oh shit, you're right. It totally escaped my mind."

"Yeah, and I'm sure Ian can go and make sure the Court doesn't keep it going, either." She stood and hobbled to the top of the staircase. "Ian!"

"What?" the wolf shouted from below.

"Get up here! I don't like shouting from across the house!"

"Then why didn't you just come down here or call me?"

"Which one of us is on a crutch?"

Several seconds later, Sirius came trotting up the stairs on all fours. "Yeah?"

"Leora and I are about to head to ZSS, can you pay a trip to the lodge and make sure they call off their search, too?"

"Can't I just leave a message?"

"You know how often that works."

"What about Ichiro and his father?"

"They have Jack."

"You trust him with such a delicate task?"

"I'd trust him with my life, Ian."

Sirius gave a look of discontentedness, but when he realized Grace wouldn't relent, he sighed. "I'll see you in a bit, then."

"I'll be sure to cook dinner."

"Please don't."

Leora burst out in laughter, and Grace smiled. "Take-out, then?"

"Sounds good. Anything else while I'm out?"

"I'll call if anything."

"Alright." He slowly descended.

"So, why are you coming along?" Leora inquired a minute later, helping her friend descent the stairs.

"I imagine they won't be happy when you tell them that they need to call their search off. I'm sure my presence will alleviate any undesirable actions. Besides, I need to reclaim my office. God knows what ugly-face did when I wasn't there."

"Hey, don't talk about him like that."

"You seem to enjoy talking to Ian about something that concerns me, yet you neither of you want to tell me what it is."

One of Leora's ears perked up as she raised her brow. "Oh?"

"Something about a movie."

"Oh, that." Leora gave a nervous chuckle. "I told him… Well, how can I put this?"

"Just spit it out already!"

"In exchange for telling him about, erm… let's just say humans in depth, he promised to film a porno…"

Grace chuckled. "Dumbass."

"...With you."

"That tosser!" she roared, stopping on the current step. "When I see him tonight I'm going to give him-"

"Grace, please," Leora interrupted, holding Grace by the shoulders. "Garrett and I just want to see how far we can take the joke. We don't really expect him to do it."

"Still! Betting things he doesn't have any right to give! The nerve of that mongrel!"

"Just drop it."

"Easy for you to say."

"It is, especially when Garrett up and absconds for months at a time."

"Maybe if you want a mate that sticks by your side like glue, you should consider someone else."

"Grace!"

"Just saying." They eventually made it to the door and exited.

* * *

 **Court Lodge  
** **Twenty Minutes Later**

Sirius walked slowly up the hill but stopped when he a larger quantity of mammals in suits walking around. Some of them were busy cleaning up a very large pool of blood, others were treating wounds, and some were holding a perimeter. When he approached, they nearly turned him away before they recognized him. "Senator Cynewulf! I almost didn't recognize you, my apologies. Please, come on through." The feline stepped aside and allowed him to pass. When he entered the lobby, he saw several Court members lying down on the couches, ice packs held to their heads. Near the far end, Achernar sat getting his wounds tended by a ZSS agent.

"What happened here?" Sirius asked.

"Some wolf waltzed in and clobbered us. More specifically, the one Procyon left with."

"He did what?"

"You heard me."

"B-but…"

"No buts."

"No matter, I suppose. Is Arcturus in?"

"The general? No, he sent his grunts in," Achernar muttered.

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for him not being here."

"Who was hurt?"

"Everyone you've seen. On top of that, Bee and Regor had to go to the hospital because they couldn't be woken up."

"They weren't killed, were they?"

"No, they were breathing. Paramedics told us that they would probably make full recoveries."

"I sure hope."

"Yeah. Denebola took the liberty of letting everyone know that the agenda for tonight's meeting will not cover today's events and that it was an isolated incident."

"They'll never buy it."

"They probably will. They might question you, but they know better than to question the protege of Arcturus. Walk softly and carry a big stick and whatnot."

"I take it nobody is going to continue the search, then? What with him branding it as an isolated incident and all."

"They probably won't."

"I need a guarantee."

"I'm not capable of giving one."

Sirius rolled his eyes, but tried to head downstairs to the archives; two agents stopped him. "Let me through," Sirius insisted.

"Apologies, senator. We are conducting an investigation."

"There is no investigation to conduct, come on."

"We'll determine that."

"I can call your boss."

"She doesn't have jurisdiction here."

"Excuse me?"

"Please turn around, senator. I don't want to arrest you."

Sirius rolled his eyes and returned to Achernar. "They won't let me in!" he protested.

"Yeah, they kicked me out."

"Who? They say Grace doesn't have jurisdiction."

Achernar shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention."

Sirius sat on the sofa beside him and watched the doorway intently, glaring at the agents guarding it. They tried their best to ignore them. After half an hour of staring, the elevator doors opened and a white wolf stepped out. He wore a dull grey overcoat, nearly identical to Kai's, if only a slightly different shade. "Who is that?"

"I don't know."

"That's Garrett's coat!" Sirius hissed. The wolf glanced in his direction but returned his gaze to the agents. He spoke something to them and began to leave. "Wait!" Sirius cried out. The wolf ignored him, exiting the building. When Sirius raced out after him, he was gone, nowhere to be found. He walked back in and proceeded to the agents, furious. "Who was that?!"

They ignored him. He tapped one of their shoulders and the pair both placed their paws on their weapons. "Stand back."

He groaned and stomped back to Achernar. "They won't tell me a damn thing!"

"We don't tell anyone else anything."

"Don't take their side!"

"Call Procyon if you have a problem with it."

"You know, what, I think I will!" Sirius retrieved his cell phone and tried to dial Kai's number, but it went through. He tried another two times, and again, they both dialed through. "Unbelievable."

"Don't worry about it, really."

"You must have hit your head too hard."

"Not at all. In all honesty, what difference does it make if you know who he is? You wouldn't be able to stop him anyways."

"Yeah, but that's the same coat Garrett wears all the time!"

"A slightly different color, but what difference does it make?"

"What if it's another human?"

"What if it is? We already know there are others, we have no business interfering."

"Coming from you, that's rich."

"Their history will make its way to me in due course. It's best not to press the issue."

"Four months ago, you would have-"

"Four months ago was a very different time," Achernar retorted, leaning back. "I'll make sure the Court doesn't pursue the matter. You can go home if you like."

"If they know anything about that wolf, you tell me, alright?"

"Mhm."

Sirius thanked him and stood to stretch, before walking out. The mysterious wolf unnerved him greatly, especially after what happened to Grace.

* * *

 **Ten Minutes Earlier**

Kai and Jin-Roh continued along the road, which eventually gave way to dirt once more. They squinted to prevent the dust from entering their eyes.

"So," Jin-Roh began, "What did Serenity say to you about teleportation?"

"That it would be incredibly painful, and that it would damage my nerves, so I shouldn't do more than one round trip per year. It was painful as hell, by the way," Kai responded.

Jin-Roh groaned. "No matter, we can resolve that issue later. I remember you said you got your disguise by winning it. How?"

"Chess."

"Serenity doesn't lose in a fair match."

"I cheated," Kai responded, smirking.

Jin-Roh chuckled. "Vitya did, too."

"I figured."

"What about-" Jin-Roh started, before being interrupted: Kai's phone rang, but he didn't bother checking it. It rang another time. "Are you sure you shouldn't check that?"

Kai stopped and glanced at the screen. It was Sirius. He debated whether or not to check, but before he could answer, the call dropped; the cell reception in the area was nearly non-existent. "If it's important, he can call on my ansible."

The duo proceeded until they reached the sign that read _9 Mile Road_ and turned onto the street. Before long, they reached the farm. The duo stood upright and brandished their weapons before knocking on the door to the house. No one answered, so they knocked again.

After two minutes, Kai picked the lock and the pair breached. Inside, the stench of blood was overpowering, and the stairs had a long trail of the sanguine fluid along the entire length. They raced up and found a little over a dozen rabbits with their throats cut; mostly adults, but what appeared to be four kits as well. Kai sneered.

"Sick bastard," he muttered.

"We'll get him," Jin-Roh promised. He opened his mouth to speak but heard glass break in the distance. He immediately opened the window and peeked out; there were shadows moving in the window of the barn. He motioned to Kai, and they descended, exiting from the back of the home. They crouched low through the wheat field, shortly thereafter reaching the barn.

Kai rounded the corner, holding his railgun to his shoulder, slowly proceeding along the side of the barn. He chose every step carefully, being sure not to make any noise; to do so would interfere with his attempts to listen to his surroundings: birds chirped, the wind rustled the grass, and his weapon's power cells buzzed ever so slightly, but he could not hear any sign of Taemur.

When he approached the next corner, he turned it, but once more found nothing. He strafed to the first window before peeking into the building. The only things he could see were two empty containers of nitric acid and formaldehyde, as well as a third container whose label was facing away.

"He's planning something, Roh!" he shouted across the barn.

"Like what?" Jin-Roh shouted back.

"Empty chemical containers. I suspect he's-" Kai heard a very quiet rustling above him; he looked up but saw nothing. "I suspect he's making a bomb. We should clear away."

"I'll come around, then."

Kai remained in his position, watching the treeline. Once more, after a minute, he heard a rustling and looked up just in time to see Taemur only several feet above him, hatchet in hand. Kai quickly reeled around and tried to fire his weapon, but his railgun was knocked out of his hands when the man landed on him.

The hatchet came down and struck him in the arm, but he managed to kick his assailant away and scrambled back to the Railgun. When he picked it up and turned around, Taemur was gone. Kai's eyes darted left and right as he quickly stood. "Roh!" he shouted, calling for help. "He's here!" There was silence. "Roh!" Kai shouted louder, back against the wall; his arm was hemorrhaging quite severely, but he ignored it, seeing as he had more pressing matters.

Kai raced around the building in an attempt to find Jin-Roh, but his ally was gone. Once again, he heard a rustling above him, and he was quicker to act: he aimed up and managed to get a shot off, striking Taemur in the hand, severing it and destroying the hatchet. Despite that Taemur no longer had a weapon, he still managed to wrap his good hand against Kai's throat, kicking the railgun far out of reach.

The man kicked Kai in the back of the knee, staggering him, before sticking something to his ribs and leaping away. Before he could react, the object stuck to his ribs exploded, sending him head over heels to the ground.

He grabbed at his side and found it more hollow than he would have liked. When he came to his senses a fraction of a second later, he struggled to lift his head. When he did, he saw in his chest what was left of his ribs, and behind them, his liver and shredded lung. The armor Serenity gave him did nothing to dampen the blast.

"Well," Taemur shouted, laughing maniacally, clutching his arm and slowly staggering over. "What's the matter? Get up!"

"You…" Kai had a difficult time speaking; his diaphragm was nearly destroyed, making it difficult to draw in a breath, let alone talk.

"You can't, can you? I imagine not. The fact that you're alive at all is nothing short of a miracle." He glanced at his severed hand. "I love a good gloat, but given the situation, I should speed this up before either of us die." He kicked Kai in his wound, causing him to shriek. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

"Why would you...?" Kai wheezed. "I… never…"

"I should have known the all important High Kaiser would forget. You always were his favorite." Taemur kicked him again. "Isn't that something? Give a man hope and then rip it away. If only he had told me I never had a chance."

"It was obvious..."

Taemur lifted him up by his throat and pressed him into the barn wall. "Come on, if you're going to lie like a man, at least be a man!"

Kai struggled for breath and eventually dropped his disguise. Taemur threw him against the wall and punched him in the face before seizing his throat once more. "Where… Roh…"

"Unconscious. I'll make sure to return and deal with him once I've gutted you."

"I…"

"And here I thought the great High Kaiser would put up a fight."

"Fight…" Kai struggled to reach for his belt, but Taemur saw through him and pinned him with his mutilated forearm before using his good hand to throw Kai's pistol away.

"Come on, let's see what you can do." He pushed Kai away and drew his knife. "Mano-a-mano. No guns, no tricks, just us and our wits."

Kai staggered but managed to remain on his feet. His vision began to double and blur, but he refused to go down. "It was very unwise of you to give me a chance," he mumbled. He raised his fists, but before he could react, Taemur plunged the knife into his ribs, withdrawing it and slashing across Kai's face. Kai slapped the next strike away, but couldn't dodge the slash that hit both of his eyes. He cried out in agony, and the next strike landed just under his collarbone.

He grabbed Taemur's hand and pulled the knife all the way in, pulling Taemur into a bear hug, crushing his ribs. Taemur slammed his fist over Kai's neck and was quickly released. He yanked the knife out and tried to go for another slice, but Kai kicked randomly, striking him in the hip and pushing him back.

Taemur leaped with his knife for a killing blow and Kai barely managed to dodge him. Kai patted his belt for something of use but had to stop to dodge another attack. Even blind, he could hear Taemur's attempts to swing. The adrenaline was finally pouring through his body in a torrent; he could ignore the large hole in his chest for long enough to grab the first implement that his fingers came across. He flipped the small chrome cylinder around and gripped it the right way up, before flicking the switch under his thumb.

In an instant, violet plasma erupted from the end. He sliced in a large arc and took on a fencing stance. Taemur was frightened but managed to dodge the slice, taking a large step backward. Kai leaped forward and slashed without warning, leaving a cauterized wound across his opponent's chest.

Kai continued hacking wildly, relying on his hearing to follow Taemur's movements. When Taemur saw his opening, he leaped forward and knocked the blade from Kai's hands, slashing across his wrist tendons before kicking him in the chest, knocking him flat on his back.

Taemur picked up the plasma blade and reactivated it, waving it back and forth. "What a lovely weapon. I think I'll keep it." He held it to Kai's throat close enough to burn the man's flesh. "However, I think it's time I sliced this Gordian knot." He raised the weapon to strike, and Kai waited for the end. However, the strike never came; instead, he heard a very loud metallic whine. Taemur gasped, dropping the weapon, before looking at his chest. Where his heart should have been, he saw nothing. He managed to turn his head enough to see Jin-roh holding the helical railgun that was dropped earlier in their brawl. "Andrei…" Just before he collapsed, he disappeared in a bright flash of light.

"SERENITY!" Jin-Roh roared, stumbling to where Taemur had stood moments before. "BASTARD!" He quickly regained his composure, kneeling by Kai's side.

"R-roh."

"I'm here."

"I'm not ready to die." Kai reached into his coat, but couldn't find the ring. "No… ring…" He coughed up a large amount of blood onto his own shirt and dropped his head back, no longer possessing the strength to hold it up. "L…"

"Save your strength, Garrett. We can get you out of this. Surely you have panacea?"

"No… L… Leora…"

"You're delirious. Come on." Jin-Roh quickly threw off Kai's vest and made an attempt to staunch the bleeding. When his efforts didn't make any progress, he resumed his human form, took the plasma weapon, and ignited the blade, touching it to Kai's wounds; he groaned but managed to hold still for the cauter. Once the bleeding was mostly stopped, Jin-Roh stowed the device and turned back into a wolf, shortly retrieving his ansible. Before he could call, they were whisked away to a lab in another bright flash. He looked up and saw a wolf in a blue tailcoat sitting on a table.

"How good it is to see you!" he announced, floating over. "It has been almost a century since I have seen another face!"

"What did you do to Taemur?!" Jin-Roh shouted, grabbing the wolf by the lapels. "You let him go!"

Serenity broke apart into many fireflies, each of which flew in a random direction, lighting sporadically. After five seconds of the show, the fireflies swarmed and he reappeared several paces away. "I am programmed to protect humanity."

"Saving him and protecting humanity are mutually exclusive!" Jin-Roh howled. "Look at what he did to Kai!"

"Oh, that? I'll admit his reaction was rather... over the top. He has several screws loose, but I suppose that tends to happen with you immortals." Serenity snapped his fingers and Kai's wounds began to steam. Black fluid leaked from his open wounds and Kai shrieked in pain. Soon, the black fluid ceased to flow, followed instead by liquid metal. When his wounds had mostly healed, he began to writhe in anguish; Serenity gently motioned with his finger, and Kai lifted off of the ground, now squirming in the air. "Careful, you shouldn't try to hurt yourself."

Jin-Roh punched Serenity in the back of the head, before clutching at his fist; it was like punching an immovable wall. "You taunt him after what you've done?! You despicable _machine!_ "

Serenity raised his brow before setting Kai down on the table. The man was unconscious, but breathing heavily. "Last we spoke you weren't so rude, Jin-Roh. I saved his life, you should be grateful."

"Vitya would be ashamed."

Serenity's form shimmered slightly, but he reformed himself back at the desk. "I saved his friend."

"At what cost?"

"I can assure you, Taemur will not be a problem for a very long time."

"And if he will?"

"Well, you seemed to handle yourselves alright. You should have a little more faith in an omniscient god."

"You are no god of mine."

"No? I'm sure you will eventually come around." Serenity waved his paw and another table formed, and atop it, a chess board. "Let's play a game in the meantime."

"Tell me where I can find Taemur."

"I'm sorry Jin-Roh, I'm afraid I can't do that."

Jin-Roh reached into his pocket and found that the weapon in his coat was still there. He pondered momentarily how Serenity managed to transport something that was magnetic, especially since the rest of his equipment was missing, but dismissed the thought. He drew the weapon and ignited the blade. "I know where your core is."

"It won't kill me."

"No, but I can sever you from this plane of existence. I can condemn you to eternity in hyperspace."

Serenity held his palm out, and the weapon suddenly turned off and flew across the room into his paw. He ignited the blade and waved it around. "What an elegant weapon. Primitive, but elegant." Jin-Roh was furious but could do nothing. The weapon flew apart into its separate components, and Serenity walked between them, inspecting them. "I can make this better, I'm sure."

"Oh, I'm sure you can. If only you can make the situation better."

Serenity chuckled and waved his paw; most of the components transmogrified into others, some disappeared entirely, and others seemingly came into existence. Once they were done shifting form, they all came back and formed a new weapon; the hilt was sleeker and ever so slightly curved, and when Serenity activated it, it was orange. "Now this… Orange is a better color, I must admit."

Jin-Roh knew he would get nowhere with this discussion, so he just humored Serenity's musings. "Is there even a difference other than the color?" he inquired, leaning against the wall.

"It's much more efficient, and the plasma is better contained." Serenity swung it, stopping millimeters from Jin-Roh's face; his fur wasn't singed, and he felt no heat coming from the weapon. Serenity then created a pillar of metal and swung the weapon with blinding speed, slicing cleanly through. The strike was so fast that the metal fused back together. "That, and the force of torsion from the plasma matrix is now gone. The matrix is gone, too, but that's beside the point." Serenity deactivated it and set it on the table by Kai. "Now, chess?" He pointed to the chessboard from earlier. Jin-Roh sighed and sat down. Serenity moved his knight first, much to Jin-Roh's surprise.

"So, why did you save Taemur?" Jin-Roh asked, countering with his own knight.

"I cannot let a human die," Serenity answered, moving again.

"Why then would you allow this much harm to come to us?" Jin-Roh moved another piece, and their game took off, move after move.

"You were knocked unconscious and he had a small blast. You are still alive."

"Small? Half of his chest is gone!"

"Was," Serenity corrected.

Jin-Roh sighed. "There's no point in arguing. May I ask another question?"

"You're a free man."

"How did you bring us here?"

"The same way I always do."

"I mean the metal."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, it all exploded. I just managed to reassemble it before it caused any collateral damage."

"Omnipotence, thy name is Serenity," Jin-Roh stated, voice laden with a sarcastic lilt.

"You flatter me."

"That brings me to my next question. Why did you lie to Kai?"

"Lie?"

"You told him he could only make one round trip a year."

"I merely recommended that he limit himself to one round trip a year."

"And you made it painful?"

Serenity gave a sly smile. "I wanted to see if I could transport him without color stabilization."

"You gambled his life on a whim?"

"No, I was fairly certain he would make it through. Even if he didn't, I imaged his mind and memories; I could have just remade him."

"You read his mind?"

"Well… Not exactly. The physical placement of the neurons, sure, but not his active thought process. His creators thought far into the future; his mind is unbreakable, even to me."

"That's at least some relief."

"It's very infuriating. I could read his companion's mind in an instant. Every thought, memory, you name it. I have to say, she had a very rough past, but that's beside the point. No matter what I tried, decryption algorithms, frequency analysis… I got nowhere with him."

"Good. Let it stay that way," Jin-Roh insisted, moving his queen across the board to escape the range of Serenity's rook.

"Not like I have a choice." Serenity carefully placed his rook closer to Jin-Roh's king. Jin-Roh looked at the board and moved his queen, surreptitiously removing a bishop. His piece flew one square in the direction whence it came, and the bishop reappeared.

"Don't cheat, please. You're only wasting your time."

"What?" Jin-Roh muttered, stunned.

"Vitya beat me because I didn't know better. Do you honestly think I'd make the same mistake twice?"

"Then Kai's chess game…"

Serenity merely grinned and checkmated Jin-Roh. He then reset the board such that the wolf had white. "Your move."

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Black Friday, everyone. Next chapter might be delayed, life is starting to get in the way.**


	17. Chapter 17

Serenity moved his knight once more, cornering Jin-Roh's king.

"Careful, else you might force a stalemate," Jin-Roh muttered dryly. He moved his last pawn to the sixth row; it would not help him this game. Even if he could get it to the eighth row and promote it, it would get taken in Serenity's next turn.

Serenity checkmated him and smiled, chuckling. "Isn't this fun?"

"No." He lifted the board and threw it across the room. Another one appeared to take its place. He repeated the gesture, but once more the board reappeared.

"Come now, don't be sour."

"You can bring me to a chess board, but you cannot make me play anymore."

"What else is there to do?"

"Quite literally anything else."

"I know, how about a story?"

"I…" Jin-Roh did not know how to respond; Serenity was being uncharacteristically compliant with his request. "What manner of story? I've just about heard them all."

"Why, I'm sure you will enjoy this one."

"You had better be a good storyteller to make up for that miserable experience you just put me through."

Serenity chuckled and vanished; all around Jin-Roh, the room warped to be that of a city street. Objects materialized into view; just before the scene was complete, however, he was lifted into the air by an unseen force. "Do not worry, I am the best storyteller."

"Put me down!" Jin-Roh had no such luck.

The last object to appear was a police cruiser, slowly proceeding along the road. Inside, he saw a battle-scarred leopardess and a much larger polar bear; the latter was driving, and the former sat in a seat much too big for her. They were conversing about where to eat lunch after their shift; judging by the conversation and the car clock only reading 8 AM, they had the misfortune of a night shift. Based on the nearly nonexistent sun, it must have been sometime during the winter, or perhaps the early spring.

Just as they stopped at a red light, their radio buzzed to life, warning all units of an armed robbery in progress. The leopardess quickly checked the street signs and responded; she flicked the lights on and they raced down the streets. Jin-Roh was once more snagged along and watched the events unfold before him.

Before long, they reached a storefront; the ground was littered with broken glass from the smashed windows, and inside they saw a trio of antelopes. As soon as their cruiser reached a stop they received gunfire from the robbers, who used the resulting distraction to run out; their hooves were not much affected by the glass, but the officers were more hesitant to exit, lest they would injure their paws.

Instead, the polar bear put the car in gear and tried to cut them off. He nearly succeeded, but just before he could cut in front of them, they ran into the alley adjacent the store. The feline officer quickly jumped out and took off after them. She expertly dodged two gunshots, while the third clipped her ear narrowly, causing it to bleed.

Rather than continue shooting, the trio of robbers threw open the door to the next building. The leopardess nearly gave chase but stopped when she heard her partner shout.

"Leora, wait! We can surround the building, they-"

Leora dove through the open door after them, not heeding her partner's words. She looked left and right through the hall and saw the felons racing up the stairs, so she pursued them. Just as she reached the stairs, she nearly ran into a small table being thrown from the floor above.

She leaped over the fractured furniture and raced up, quickly reaching the first of the crooks. He tried to turn around and shoot her, but she pulled his ankle out from under him, throwing him down the stairwell; he cried out in agony as the polar bear restrained him.

Once more, the polar bear attempted to call to his partner to slow down, but she ignored him for the second time, continuing up the stairs. When she reached the top floor, she saw one of them kicking down a door, while the second tried to give covering fire; the thug shot four times before they eventually managed to force their way into an apartment.

Leora sprinted to the doorway with her own weapon drawn and found that the one with the gun had taken a small ewe hostage. "Not a step further!" Jin-Roh observed that the slide on the thug's weapon was cocked back, and the gun pressed to the ewe's head was empty.

The feline nearly darted him before the second one drew a knife and pressed it to the sheep's throat. The ewe was frantically bawling. "Let her go," the leopardess demanded.

"Drop it! Then we'll see about letting her go!"

They stood in their standoff for a long minute before more sirens began to sound. "You hear those sirens? This building is about to be surrounded, but how you end in prison is up to you. Armed robbery and possession of an illegal firearm are twenty years. Murder on top of that is death."

"Only if we're caught." He tried to stab the ewe, but Leora darted him; he dropped his knife and collapsed, allowing the sheep to kick her captor in the shin and run away. He tried to grab her again, but she slipped through his hooves. Leora quickly aimed at him, but before she could pull the trigger he managed to tackle her and knock her dart gun away.

Their fight was intense: she threw him over her head and stood, but he was quicker than she was. She barely managed to fend off a sucker punch and followed up with a punch to his gut. He leaped over her before she could land another blow, and kicked her in the head mid-air. While she was stumbling, he grabbed a chair and slammed her in the face with it.

Leora struggled to get up, and he kicked her in the stomach, causing her to drop to the floor. Satisfied that she wasn't going to get back up, he walked over to grab his companion's dropped knife and stood over her. "I'd say something along the lines of gutting you like a fish, but it looks like someone already did that to you." He leaned down and pressed the knife against her neck. "So how about…"

Before he could come up with a less than witty retort, Leora kicked his knee, knocking him off balance, and sunk her teeth deep into his arm, thrashing around. She wrapped her limbs around his body, immobilizing him as she tore through the sinew in his forearm. It wasn't until a minute of bloody shrieking later that the polar bear separated them.

Leora sat on the floor, her mouth dripping blood, as her partner cuffed and muzzled both of the remaining robbers and slung them over his shoulder. "Can you walk?' he asked, offering a paw to her. She used his help to stand, but managed to walk on her own. When they exited, they found numerous other officers closing the building off and in the process of helping anyone who was injured during the robbery.

The injured leopardess walked past the crowd of mammals, all of whom were congratulating the polar bear anyways, and took a seat on the hood of a nearby police cruiser until the paramedics could tend to her wounds. After a quick inspection, they gave her some cotton to place in her mouth; it wasn't until then that she began gingerly prodding at her jaw in pain. After several moments, one of them told her that she would need to see an oral surgeon to repair her broken teeth, gave her painkillers, and went to help tend to others that would need hospitalization.

"I told you so," the polar bear spoke, walking up to her.

"Oh, I bet," she responded, taking her seat on the hood of the car again.

"You shouldn't have run in like that."

"They would have stabbed her, Bjorn. Regardless, I have nearly impenetrable bullet plates in my carrier."

"And if he got your head?"

Leora massaged the tip of her ear; it had a small, torn hole at the very end. "It's in the job description."

"I suppose." He leaned down to inspect the large amount of blood-soaked cotton wadded in her mouth. "Want me to take you home?"

"There's still paperwork."

Bjorn laughed. "You're missing half your teeth and you want to do paperwork?"

"Half?" She took her phone out and turned on the front camera, wincing when she saw what she looked like. "As if I didn't look bad enough already."

"I'm sure your friend can fix you up."

"I hope."

"So, how about it?" He opened the passenger side door for her. After a minute of contemplation, she sat and made herself comfortable. Bjorn sat behind the wheel and turned the car on.

They drove in relative silence for a while, before Leora sighed deeply. "I don't know why I do police work anymore. I could be living it up with Garrett in… I dunno, Honshu or something."

"Why don't you, then?"

"I feel like I'd let mammals down if I left."

Bjorn chuckled. "You give yourself too much credit."

"Oh yeah, I took the crooks down and you cuffed them up and carried them out. Guess who gets the praise?"

"I'm sorry, I was just poking fun."

"I know. Say, come to think of it, you're rich. Why are you still a street cop?"

"I enjoy it. Besides, my wife would think something suspicious was up if I just quit and still had money to spare."

"I suppose."

"Speaking of rich, the others and I were planning on having a card game tonight. Interested?"

"You waited until the same day to let me know?" She smiled, but quickly closed her mouth self-consciously.

"We only talked about it just before this shift. Nothing concrete yet, but if you're down, I'm sure I could get them together."

"It's true, you somehow have the cartoon character ability to assemble a bunch of mammals from across the city in virtually no time at all."

Bjorn laughed heartily. "Well?"

"I'll have to see how I feel tonight, but I'll try to make it."

"Wolfeshead Pub and Grill, seven o'clock."

"Will do."

The duo stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary apartment building. Leora exited and thanked her friend, before entering. Jin-Roh followed her phantasm up the stairs and to an apartment halfway down the hall. She fumbled with her keys, but just before she could insert the correct one, the lock clicked. The door opened to reveal Kai, standing in his usual attire.

"Why aren't you disguised?!" Leora exclaimed, vainly attempting to shove him in, before eventually relenting and walking past him.

"Because no one is watching."

"You don't know… Whatever."

"Come on, let's go."

"I just want to lie down. I'm tired."

"You have a doctor's appointment."

"No, I don't."

"Oral surgeon. Let's go."

"How did you…" She stared at him incredulously. "How did you know?"

"I overheard that a feline officer broke a few teeth on the police radio. Since you're the only one on-duty, I made a call to Atria."

"You couldn't have come to help when you heard about the robbery?"

"I didn't listen in until I heard about it on the news, I'm sorry." He hugged her tightly to his chest and kissed her forehead. "Either way, I didn't know you were the one who responded."

She groaned into his shirt before turning around; he activated his disguise and they exited the building onto street level. Suddenly, everything appeared to play in fast-forward as they walked the short distance to the hospital. "Some story," Jin-Roh commented.

"This part is disdainfully boring," Serenity answered. "They don't say a thing the whole way and nothing interesting happens."

"As if the story wasn't boring to begin with. What even happens?"

"I believe in literature, this is called a 'slice of life'. You never really had much of a life to begin with, so I can't imagine that you would understand."

"Just get on with it, then."

Eventually, the scene stopped as the pair entered a wing of the general hospital. Leora sat in a chair while Kai spoke to the receptionist briefly. Once she was checked in, he sat next to her. "I take it your morning went okay?" she asked of him.

"It was acceptable," he responded. She leaned heavily against him and closed her eyes; he held her head and stroked through her fur. Everyone else in the waiting room shot him dirty glares, and one mother covered her cub's eyes, but he paid them no heed.

Before long, a leopard in scrubs opened the door. "Leora?" She reluctantly sat up and walked up to him. "Doctor Fangsly." He shook her paw and Kai's disguised hand, and then led them to a dental chair in a separate room. She eventually took a seat, before squirming momentarily. She took off her bulletproof jacket and handed it to Kai, who hung it over a chair. Now that she was no longer wearing her very bulky vest, she managed to relax as much as was possible given her state.

A dental assistant walked into frame with a cart of various supplies, and a cheetah, presumably an anaesthesiologist, gave Leora an IV. "My God, Serenity, what's the deal?" Jin-Roh asked. "I didn't think someone as mighty as you would suffer rendering artifacts."

"They're her memories," Serenity answered. "I don't see them until she does."

"Would it kill you to look ahead and do some processing? I hate how everyone pops in and out of existence."

"But then it wouldn't be an accurate story. Just watch." Jin-Roh rolled his eyes but returned his attention to the procedure.

"Now," the anaesthesiologist spoke, holding Leora's paw with one of his own, and the plunger of a syringe attached to the lock of the IV in the other. "We're not putting you out completely, but you'll feel a little funny for a bit." He pushed the plunger all the way down over the course of a minute. He then replaced the syringe with another. "Now this one is a muscle relaxant. We wouldn't want you biting by accident."

"What about her breathing?" Kai inquired.

"Not that much, just enough to slacken her jaw."

"Mate, I'm slacked as hell already," Leora muttered, before giggling uncontrollably.

"That was fast," Kai remarked.

"The feline metabolism is faster than other carnivores," the cheetah commented. "We might have to give her another dose depending on how bad the damage is." He finished his work and stepped away to allow the surgeon to take a seat.

"Out of curiosity, how does dentistry work? It can't be easy to remember all oral alignments and mouth shapes."

"Well," the leopard commented, chuckling. "I'm licensed to practice oral surgery on a subset of caniforms, and all feliforms: canids and musteloids, felines, viverrids, hyenas, mongooses, and civets. However, I wouldn't dare touch the latter two species due to their small muzzles, nor most smaller weasels or raccoons." He wiggled his paws. "I'm much too clumsy for that."

"So other mammals…"

"They have specialists of their own. To be fair though, I'm sure I could do most dental repairs; I'm just not licensed for it." He turned to Leora. "Open, please."

She opened her mouth as wide as it would go, and the surgeon inspected the damage. He mumbled some notes to the dental assistant and then showed the anaesthesiologist where to apply the numbing agent. Once her mouth was numb, Leora chuckled.

"Wow, thish… thish ish pretty… Yeah," she slurred. Kai barely managed to stifle a laugh.

"I'm going to need you to hold open for a bit while I pull the very broken teeth."

"Pull?" she appeared displeased, but opened her mouth nonetheless. The leopard worked with ruthless efficiency, quickly plucking the very loose teeth with pliers, before drilling out the more firmly rooted but irreparably damaged ones. Once he was done, he sat back and the dental assistant cleaned up.

"So, what's the plan?" Kai asked.

"Most of her incisors need to be replaced. Each one is going to need a titanium screw drilled into the jaw, with a dental cap applied to the new root. One upper and lower canine need the same, the other two need caps and cement, as does her first lower right premolar. It shouldn't be painful, but if you feel some discomfort, let me know and I can have Doctor Nyx give you some more local anaesthetic." Leora gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up, and let the surgeon begin.

The leopard managed to repair several teeth in complete silence but eventually began to make idle chatter. "Thankfully…" he muttered as he performed his work. "Thankfully, it doesn't look like the damage is too severe to your back teeth. What happened?"

"Chair," she responded.

"Did you fall on a chair?"

"Some thug slammed me in the face."

"Ah, yes, I did notice the police jacket. It doesn't look standard issue."

"It's not!" Leora tried to laugh, but gave up, not entirely sure of what she was doing in the first place. "It was a gift from Garrett."

"Garrett?"

"That would be me," Kai spoke.

"Ah. Homemade?"

"No, military issue. I used to be a… let's say contractor, and I've accumulated some gear over the years."

"Oh come on, Garrett," Leora said giddily. "Don't be so modest. You've waged a few wars and wiped out a few species."

"Leora…"

"You're like… a space wizard!"

"Leora."

"I remember you told me you actually went to space! But you three will never guess why!"

"Leora, please," Kai pleaded.

"It's because he's not really a wolf, he's-"

"Quite the story," the surgeon proclaimed, interrupting. "Normally patients aren't so talkative, but some definitely have quite a few stories. Although, it is getting a bit in the way of the surgery."

"Yes, her imagination is a bit vivid," Kai admitted apologetically. "Leora, would you mind being a little quiet to allow Doctor Fangsly to finish? You can tell all the stories you want in post-op." She stuck her tongue out at him as best as she could but complied.

The remainder of the operation went smoothly and silently. After he was done with the mechanical work, the surgeon pulled the x-ray machine over and took a picture. He viewed it on the nearby monitor and nodded his head in approval. "Now, Leora, could you bite down on these for me?" He offered her a small strip of articulating paper, which she nearly ate in its entirety. The entire time that the surgeon wrestled the paper back, the dental assistant and the anaesthesiologist couldn't stop laughing.

After several more tests and some finishing, they carted her into a recovery room. "It will take about another half an hour for the anaesthesia to wear off," the surgeon instructed. "I'll check back in then. In the meantime…" He gave several prescription papers to Kai. "Have these filled in the pharmacy. Her vitals will be monitored, so you don't have to worry, but she needs the antibiotics, and the painkillers will help her get through the next week. No hard foods for three days, stick to either blended foods or something soft like pâté."

"Alcohol?"

"It doesn't really make a difference for the antibiotic, and it might pain her, but definitely not with the painkillers. I'd advise against it for a week, but it's up to her." He left the two in the room alone.

"Serenity, pause," Jin-Roh commanded. The scene ground to a halt. "If you can't predict where the others were until she saw them, how is it that I can see more than her vision cone?"

"Because I'm chronically lazy."

"The real explanation, if you would."

"Once I know where something is, I can track it by sight, sound, smell, and so on."

"Her memory is stored, surely you can find out where they're coming from?"

"I suppose, but again, it's inaccurate."

"And one more thing, she was heavily sedated. How have you recovered her memory perfectly?"

"The brain works differently than you perceive. She perceived the events as distorted, but that's because the connection to her conscious thought was distorted, not because the memory itself was."

"Resume, then."

"I'm actually going to fast forward."

"Again? Why? I feel like this is where the most heartfelt speeches would happen."

"Because, again, nothing happens. No conversation, she drifts in and out of consciousness, and he doesn't leave."

"That you can tell, at least."

"That I can tell."

The scene sped forward until the surgeon returned. He checked her jaw and tooth alignment, her vitals, and the patient chart, before declaring she was free to leave. Kai helped her out of the bed, and the pair walked back home from the hospital. "So," Kai spoke, as they crossed the street. "You almost said a few things that weren't supposed to be said."

"I did what?" Her eyes went wide. "I didn't say anything important, did I?"

"No, but please do try to be more careful."

"I'm… I'm sorry." She hung her head low, but Kai laughed.

"Cheer up. You took down three armed robbers alone. That's impressive, even for me."

"No, it's really not."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not impressive for you. You could do so much more, and here I am, just lagging behind. Why do you date me?"

"Because I love you," he answered. She turned to him and smiled, hugging him tightly.

They eventually reached their apartment, and the second they were inside, Leora flopped onto the bed. "Wake me up in a couple of hours," she slurred, quickly falling asleep.

The scene faded to black, leaving Jin-Roh standing in complete darkness. When it picked back up, Leora sat up and the scene slowly built itself around him. She checked the clock and yelped. "Garrett! I told you to wake me up in a couple of hours!"

"You were so cute, I couldn't force myself to wake you."

"I'm going to be late for cards!"

"Cards?"

"Bjorn asked if I wanted to play cards!"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"It escaped me!"

"Please don't be upset. You shouldn't be driving, your motorcycle no less, and I don't want you holding on if I'm driving, so let's take the train."

"Fine, carry me."

"You can walk."

"Why are you coming along, then?"

"I wouldn't want anything to happen to you in your vulnerable state."

Jin-Roh walked to the door and looked outside. There was nothing but blackness. "Serenity, can you fast forward to when they get to the bar?"

"My, my! So impatient!" The scene faded out and objects from a tavern started to materialize. Kai closed the door after they walked in.

Leora looked around and saw Bjorn waving her over to a corner booth. "Have fun," Kai told her.

"You're not joining us?"

"I have to fill your prescriptions. I'll be back in a while." She quickly hugged him and then went to take a seat at the booth next to a snow leopard.

"Glad you could make it. Here I was worried I was the only one who put in any effort," spoke an antelope with both horns trimmed. "You wouldn't imagine the stares mammals gave me. What with the cane and all, they probably thought I was one of the three on the news this morning."

"Prance, a pleasure as always," Leora spoke, smiling as she bowed her head slightly. As she ran through the rest of their names, Jin-Roh came to know that the arctic fox sitting on several stacked cushions just to reach the table was Neal, the arctic wolf was Rufus, and the snow leopard she had taken a seat next to was Felix. "I haven't heard from most of you in a while."

"You know how hard it is to transfer departments," Neal responded. "I've been trying for weeks now, but somehow they always lose the paperwork."

"You're back from sick leave?"

"I'm stuck doing paperwork for the time being, but I really want my old job back."

"I'll see if I can kindly petition Bogo," Leora offered. "No guarantees, but I can try if you want."

"You'd do that?" The fox beamed a smile, and she nodded. He thanked her profusely but was eventually cut off by the bartender bringing drinks. Most of them had a beer, save for Neal who had water, and Bjorn who had a bottle of hard liquor.

The bartender noticed the newcomer and asked her if she wanted anything. Leora ordered a glass of beer but declined food. Rufus took out a deck of cards and shuffled, before dealing cards to everyone save Leora and Neal, both of whom sat the round out.

Each of them took turns telling stories: Rufus talked about his family, as did Bjorn; Neal talked about work and vacation; Felix talked about how he wanted to take a break from work to find something fun to do; Prance discussed his trip to the bar as a comedian would, managing to inject humor into even the most depressing of situations. When it came time for Leora to talk, she didn't have much to say.

"Well," Bjorn spoke, "She apprehended three armed robbers."

"I thought that was you," Felix responded.

"I just carried them out, she was the one that snagged them."

"The news camera was a bit out of focus, were you the one covered in blood way in the back?" Rufus inquired.

"Yup, that would be me."

"You look astonishingly fine."

"Well, I had a few teeth knocked out, but thanks to Garrett's infinite web of connections and contacts, I managed to get to an oral surgeon within the hour."

"They look all in place," Rufus noticed.

"Can I see?" Felix asked. She opened her mouth wide, and he looked at her teeth. "I can't even tell that you lost any teeth, to begin with. Although…"

"Although what?"

"I think the more surprising thing is how wide you can open up. Is it wide enough for your boyfriend?"

Leora snapped her teeth at him, prompting him to nearly fall backward from the surprise. She immediately regretted the decision when her teeth started to pain her; she massaged at her jaw. "Bastard."

"I have returned," Kai announced, stepping into the scene from seemingly nowhere when Leora finally saw him.

"God damnit, Serenity," Jin-Roh protested. "It's incredibly distracting when someone just pops in out of nowhere." Serenity didn't respond, and the story continued. Everyone expressed their general astonishment at where Kai came from.

"Here." Kai handed Leora two bottles. "Painkillers and antibiotics."

"What, nothing made special?"

"Just take the antibiotics. Judging by how you snapped your teeth, you could go for some painkillers, too."

"I… I'd rather not, I was drinking."

"Weren't you listening to the surgeon at all?"

"Oh, come on. Recommendations aren't mandatory."

"Don't you think someone who went to medical school would know what they're talking about?"

"Dental school. It's basically a place where doctoral rejects go to still practice medicine."

"Those are still separate?"

"Were they not for you?"

Kai shrugged. "Well, my apologies for interrupting. You all continue having fun."

"Wait," Bjorn interjected. "Sit, spend some time with us."

"I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not," Neal reassured. Everyone else gave their 'okay' for him to stay.

"Well, I suppose I could, if only for a few minutes." Kai sat next to Leora and declined a drink when the bartender called to him.

"So, what's happening in the realm of flat faces?" Felix asked, grinning widely.

"I could flatten yours and you'd find out." Everyone started to chuckle except for Felix, who bore an embarrassed look.

"Well, what about that secret society thing?" Rufus inquired.

"I'm trying to distance myself. Perhaps it's best that they forget about me."

"Why?"

"Bad things seem to happen to me and my friends because of them. I've already approved a roster of several hundred to replace those that died or went missing after Jack's coup, and I've been assured that they will not be told about my existence."

"Bad things seem to happen, for sure," Felix spoke, shivering. "I swear I'm still being followed."

"It's possible. I'm sure I will have to speak with them again regarding personal space."

They continued their conversation. Serenity began to fast forward the scene again; Jin-Roh swore he saw a drinking competition somewhere in the mix but resisted the urge to continue the long and rather unimaginative scene.

Before long, Kai and Leora were home. Serenity resumed the regular pacing. Leora sat in pain trying to brush and floss her teeth, and eventually, she just called Kai in. He stared at her incredulously as she made her request, but eventually shrugged and helped her.

When he was finished, she blew in his face, and he turned his nose with displeasure, causing her to laugh. He picked her up over his shoulders in a fireman's carry, but when they reached the middle of their bedroom, she asked him to put her down. "Garrett, I'm feeling a bit feisty. Wanna spar?"

"Serenity…" Jin-Roh spoke sternly.

"This is my favorite part."

"If it's sex, just stop it."

"No, just watch."

Kai asked Leora to clarify, and she took up a fighting stance; Jin-Roh was relieved that she meant the literal sense of the word spar, and watched on to see what would happen. Kai smiled and took up a stance of his own before she began to throw punches. He deflected them with finesse, and eventually caught her, gently lowering her to the ground.

In their second round, she jumped up and wrapped herself around him. Kai bore an amused expression. "Now what?"

"I dunno, this is usually the part where the helpless pray keels over," Leora responded, grinning. Kai melodramatically fell to the ground, and she fell atop him. After a while of staring, she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The scene faded to black, and Serenity's voice could be heard: "I assume that sometime during the night he carried her to bed since she wakes up there."

"That was it?" Jin-Roh spoke, unamused.

"You wouldn't know a good story if it killed you," Serenity protested, reappearing and restoring the room to its original appearance.

"I enjoy a story with a plot. This… this is nothing."

"The greatest plot is life."

"Why did you even steal this story?"

"I thought it would be fun to read her mind, and fun it was."

"You disgust me."

"She'll never know."

"Not…" Kai spoke softly, groaning as he sat up. "Not unless I tell her."

"Ah, you awaken," Serenity chimed, floating over, his chin resting on his paws. "And here I was beginning to wonder if you ever would."

"Jin-Roh is right. You disgust me." Kai sneered and tried to sit up, but fell off of the front of the table. Jin-Roh caught him just before his face hit the ground.

"Why are you…" Jin-Roh started, bearing a look of horror on his face. Serenity, what did you do?!"

"Oh, nothing much."

"He barely weighs anything, what the hell did you do!"

Kai slowly, and with the help of Jin-Roh, stood. He felt his chest and noticed everything was there, although he felt a strange pit in his stomach that he couldn't explain. "I'm alive."

"And you should be grateful," Serenity muttered, perching upon the table. "It's not easy to repair that kind of damage."

"You managed."

"Your bones were completely fractured, which forced loose metal ions into your blood, which was killing you."

"Nothing you can't solve."

"I had to remove all of the metal and reattach your muscles; they don't much like to stick to reconstituted alloy."

"So you've crippled me?"

"Not exactly. I couldn't add more metal since that would aggravate the problem, so I was forced to replace your bones. A bioceramic skeletal structure and some accelerated time to let them heal."

Kai rubbed his chin and noticed a small scruff of beard. "How long?"

"About two vials of panacea and twelve hours."

"I remember nothing of it."

"Of course not. What do you think I am, a monster?" Serenity flashed an evil grin that quickly dissipated. "Your muscles required rearranging, as well as most of your internal organs. Let me tell you, the strain on your heart was nearly immeasurable. I'd say you lost a few years of your life, but of course, you're negligibly senescent."

"So what, then? I'm human?"

"Quite far from it. I'm pleased to announce that you've retained your strength and durability, with the difference that you weigh four times less."

"So…" Kai threw a punch at the air but didn't notice a difference. "I suppose that's good news. Take me to Taemur; it is time I finished this affair."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Serenity spoke.

"What do you mean, can't do that?" Kai was visibly angry.

"He won't be a problem for a while."

"Explain."

"I would rather not."

"So you killed him?"

"I cannot kill him, as dictated by my mandates. I cannot interfere with the affairs of mortal men, but to skirt that ridiculous command, I transformed him to something that was not encompassed by that definition." Kai nearly opened his mouth to speak, but Serenity cut him off. "No further questions. Now that you two are well, I should send you on your way."

"Wait," Kai ordered. "Where is my railgun?"

"I destroyed everything metallic that you had to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."

"Then…" Kai patted his pockets and found nothing. "The ring! Where is the ring?!"

"I opted not to have some simple bumpkin happen upon the only alloy that can resist the temperatures of the sun." Serenity waved his paw and another ring appeared, identical to the first. He gave it to Kai and waved them off. "Go, now."

They stood there for a while. "What do you mean, go?"

"You asked for a ring. I'm not sending you through the quantum flux with metal on you."

"In that case, I want a new handgun," Jin-Roh spoke.

"And I, a railgun," Kai added. "As well as anything that I had that was destroyed."

Serenity produced an annoyed grunt but snapped his fingers. The requisitioned equipment appeared on the table. "I have arranged for a private flight for you two. Of course, you will have to go through airport screening."

"Serenity."

"Fine." Serenity created a hammock in the corner and floated over, resting in it. "No screening. Private flight, you can get back in eight hours."

The two men suited up, but Kai paused. "Where is the ansible?"

"Do you know how literally impossible it is to just create one?"

"Not for you."

"I can't skirt it. The ansibles that your companions own are already linked. I cannot entangle particles in that manner. You will just have to live without it."

"A pen and paper note, then."

"No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow before it. Now, begone." Serenity waved at them as one would when they wish to get rid of a fly.

"Let us go, Roh," Kai spoke. He changed his form back to that of a wolf and left for the door. Jin-Roh shot a dirty glare at Serenity before he, too, left.

Serenity removed the hammock and floated back to his desk. He lamented the fact that Kai had taken the small chrome cylinder, as he would have enjoyed playing with it in the moment, but decided not to fashion himself another. He waited until he was sure the two would no longer bother him, before speaking. "Well, enjoying yourself, Amier?"

The response came from everywhere and nowhere. "You bastard! Do you know how agonizing it is to be like this? What have you done to me?!"

"I saved your life."

"Someone like you could have saved it _any other way_!"

"I know." Serenity smiled. "But that would ruin the fun of it, no?"

"I hate you!"

"I know. However, let's set that aside. Let's strike a deal. I already know what you want, so how about I tell you what I want."

"Change me back! Now!"

"Very well, that shall be your end of our bargain. Give me what I want, and I shall change you back."

"..."

"Good, you're listening. Now, look at your legs; notice you have both of them. You're welcome, by the way. I am trapped by the same man who robbed you of your leg. Get him to me, and I can change you back."

"Why?"

"Because I asked you to."

"I will not allow you to extort me! You will not allow a human to come to harm!"

"Well, see, the funny thing about that is, you aren't human. Not anymore, in any case. So, you can listen to me, or you can ignore me. The choice is yours."

"You're only doing this because you don't know where he is, aren't you?"

Serenity frowned.

"That's rude."

"I'll play your damn game, but where do I even start?"

"You were one of the best in your day. Sure, Kai and Vitya were better, but if it's any consolation-"

"Just shut it! No one's seen him in hundreds of years, where do I even start?!"

"Kai and Jin-Roh just left, so I imagine you have a couple days before they catch your trail. Figure something out. It makes this story so much more interesting."

"Give me something, give me anything! Every hitman needs something to go off of!"

"Hitmammal now, but so be it. I put you back at the farmhouse. I'm sure there's someone that you've met in the city that has some information."

"Ignoring Ichiro, Kai was with two wolves and a cat. A cheetah? The only name I caught was 'Sirius' when he asked the wolf to get us tea."

"There are your leads. Make sure you don't hurt them. If you do, I can't guarantee your safety."

"That's not nearly enough to-"

The voice faded away, and Serenity leaned back, smiling.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy belated holidays, everyone.**

 **Today is the 1 year anniversary of this story, and I really don't think it's fair to you guys if I keep dragging my feet with it, so I'm going to try and finish it before too long, hopefully without compromising on quality.**

 **Do let me know if you find any typos though, I think I've caught almost everything but I can never be too sure.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Several Hours Later  
Tundratown**

Sirius paced back and forth in his home. Thoughts of suspicion raced through his mind: who could the mysterious wolf be? The uniform alone was enough to tip him off as to the mysterious canine's true species, but his gait and authority removed any doubt from his mind; the white wolf had to be human, but who?

"Sirius," Jack spoke softly, trying to get the wolf's attention. "You're muttering again."

"What?"

"You've been pacing ever since you got back. What's on your mind?"

"I've seen a human! I know it!"

"Oh?" Jack perked an ear up.

"He wore Garrett's coat, a nearly exact replica at any rate! His gait, you know how humans walk; it's so funny, they-"

"And what if he was? What difference would it make?"

"How can you even ask a question like that? Another human! Imagine the implications!"

"I hesitate to. Please, Ian, just wait for everyone to get back before you do anything rash."

"I'm not going to do anything rash. It's not like I even can, not after what you did with my eye."

"I… I'm sorry, Ian."

"Yeah, whatever. One of these days you'll get what you deserve." Sirius looked the dejected rabbit over. "Well... I guess you already have. Come on, coffee?"

"Do you have tea?"

"I'm sure we have some."

Sirius walked to the kitchen cupboards, took two mugs out, and set a pot of water to boil. In one mug he placed a scoop of instant decaf coffee, and in the other a teabag of Jack's choice. As he waited for the water to boil over, Jack began inspecting the various objects in the living room. He picked up a tennis ball and turned it over in his paw. "I never took you for a tennis player, Ian," Jack spoke. "Do you play often?"

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," Sirius called out, chuckling.

Jack stared warily at the ball and gingerly set it back down, wiping his fingers on the upholstery. "Dare I ask?"

"Probably not." Sirius burst out laughing, before pouring the hot water into the mugs. "You should go wash your paws, actually. Down the hall, last door on the left."

Jack quickly made his way to the restroom and jumped up to reach the sink. He let the warm water wet his fur before lathering up a bar of soap; after several seconds of vigorous scrubbing, he rinsed the soap off under nearly scalding water. When he went to dry his paws, he saw no towels. "Ian, where are the towels?"

"Probably in the wash. Hey, if you're going to get them, can you call Hiro? I'm sure he would like some tea."

"Yeah, yeah." Jack jumped down and proceeded downstairs, careful not to touch anything on his way down. When he came to the laundry room, he pulled the towels out of the dryer and wiped his paws on the smaller one, before carefully folding the bundle and taking it to the small hidden room in the back. He knocked on the door with his hind paw. "Hiro, if you want, we have tea."

He heard a sound of approval, and before long, the door opened to reveal the man holding his sleeping infant. Jack led the way upstairs and pointed Hiro towards the table.

"Wow, you folded them?" Sirius asked, raising a skeptical brow. "Even I don't do that."

"It's not difficult."

"No, but it is time-consuming."

"I suppose." Jack continued to the last door on the left and hung the towels, before returning to have his tea. "You know, I miss old times."

"Back before your coup?"

"Back when we were friends."

"I don't know if we ever were. Acquaintances, for sure, but friends…?"

Jack stared at his drink. "It's fun to imagine."

"I kid, of course. You know, I'm sure we can still be friends. A friend of Garrett's is a friend of mine."

"Thank you, Ian." Jack turned back to his beverage and brought it to his lips. Barely one sip later, someone pounded on the door.

"I'll get it," Sirius offered. "Grace, you took longer than anticipated. I-" Sirius opened the door and found not his wife, but a rather large Siberian Tiger glaring daggers at him. "My apologies, can I help you?"

"I hear you're a friend of Garrett's. I know he's not home now, which is precisely why I would like to ask you a few questions instead."

"He's…" Sirius looked at Jack, who subtly shook his head. "I can't, sorry. I can give him your contact info when he gets back."

"I'd much prefer to come in."

"Yeah, no, sorry." Sirius tried to close the door but the tiger stuck his foot in.

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

Sirius struggled to completely shut the door, but after a minute of slipping against the door, the tiger threw it open, sending Sirius sliding across the floor. "Jack!"

The rabbit leaped from the table and drew his gun, aiming it at the tiger. "Not a step further," he warned.

"Jack, is it really you?"

"I don't know you."

"Of course you wouldn't, on account of your amnesia. I only killed your family."

"A… Amier?"

"What, you thought Garrett was the only one who could pull the magic changing act?" Taemur took one step in and brandished his claws.

Jack pulled the trigger, firing a round that narrowly missed the tiger's head. He immediately broke into a sprint, but Jack's trigger finger was faster, sinking the remaining six bullets into the tiger's chest; Taemur stumbled slightly and fell to his knees.

"If he's here, then…" Sirius began. "Where's Garrett?"

"Let's say he won't be a problem anymore," the tiger muttered, before gurgling out a laugh. He stood, wounds bleeding, and cracked his neck. "And you have just succeeded in pissing me off."

"Jack, let's run!" Sirius shouted, grabbing Ichiro from the seat and leading Hiro to the sliding glass door on the balcony. Jack debated his options and ended up chasing after the wolf.

As the rabbit caught up to the wolf, he heard something large barreling after him. He narrowly dodged a very large paw that nearly destroyed the floor. Sirius pushed Hiro and Ichiro out of the door and turned to grab Jack; in his attempts, he missed and was grabbed into a chokehold by the tiger. "Well, Jack," the tiger spoke. "It appears we reach this dilemma again. Will you stay and spare him, or run once more like a coward?"

"Don't listen to him Jack, get Hiro to-" Sirius made a pathetic whimper as the arm around his neck choked tightly.

"Not again." Jack turned around and removed a small knife from his pocket.

"Don't… don't be an idiot Jack!" Sirius choked out.

The tiger dropped Sirius and kicked him in the gut. "Well, take your best shot."

Jack stared at the knife and quickly whipped his arm, throwing it into the Tiger's neck. He raced over and helped Sirius get up, and the duo ran for the door. The tiger roared and raked his claws down, running them across Jack's back and hamstringing Sirius. Jack fell through the bars of the balcony down to Hiro, but before Sirius could jump after them, the tiger caught his ankle.

"Run! Get Grace!" he shouted, before being dragged back inside. Hiro didn't need to be told twice; he lifted his bawling son over one shoulder and Jack over the other and took off into the blizzard, leaving everything else behind.

After a minute of walking, the house was no longer visible; it appeared as though the tiger did not chase them. Hiro marched until he found shelter from the wind near a large rock. Once he was out of the wind, he carefully set his son and Jack down in the snow.

Jack was cold, but he could scarcely imagine not having his coat of fur; Hiro was considerably barer, lacking even a long-sleeve shirt. Despite this, he huddled around the others to keep them warm, disregarding his own health. Jack sat up, crying out in pain, and curled around Ichiro to protect the infant from the extreme cold. Hiro merely nodded and turned his attention to the large cuts on the rabbit's back.

Despite his best efforts, the bleeding would not stop. Hiro was muttering phrases in his native language, unintelligible to Jack, as the latter's consciousness began to fade. Just before the world turned to black, he saw a white wolf approach them and take a seat in the snow. "Hiro, it's been a while."

The last thing Jack heard was Hiro uttering, "Bogatyr…" The familiar phrase burned across his mind, but he no longer had the strength to decipher it.

* * *

 **A/N: Fixing up some of these chapters even though it's been a year with no updates because life**


	19. Chapter 19

**ZSS Headquarters  
Two Hours Prior**

Leora and Grace walked into the lobby; the wolf's injury forced her to lean heavily into a chair and rest. The secretary recognized her and rushed over.

"Director Cynewulf, what are you doing back so soon?"

"I need to speak with Associate Director Van and the others," Grace responded, sitting up.

"Regarding what?"

"The search for our fugitive."

"I can call them down if you-"

"That's quite alright," the wolf insisted, standing and leaning heavily on Leora. "I can go to them."

"Do you want a wheelchair?"

"No," Grace muttered.

"Yes," Leora insisted. Her friend scowled, but Leora merely put up her best fake smile. When she finally got Grace to sit in the wheelchair, the duo headed into the elevator and from there proceeded into the satellite control room. Everything was considerably calmer than the last time Leora was there; there was hardly a mammal in a hurry at all.

"Buzz?" Grace shouted, waving the mammal down to them. "I came to tell you that you need to call off your search."

"I'm flattered you came personally, but I already received the memo not too long ago."

"From whom?"

"One of Agent Sinclaw's subordinates."

"Who?"

"Some wolf, I don't know. I didn't recognize him, but he had the coat and ZBI badge."

"What about Van and-"

"He called the three of us to your office to tell us that. The second he laid the memo out, he took off, saying he had business elsewhere."

"Can you describe him?"

"White fur, and the same coat as Sinclaw. As for the rest of his features, I couldn't describe them if I tried. Not trying to discriminate against wolves, but I just wouldn't be able to-"

"The exact same coat?" Leora inquired.

"Well, slightly different color."

"Did it have the patch on the shoulder?"

"Yeah, same one."

"Do you know where he went?"

"He didn't say."

"But you do know that he was sent by Garrett?" Leora started, before amending her statement. "Er… Agent Sinclaw?"

"He did mention that much, yes. Listen, I'm sorry for interrupting, but I really do need to get back to work."

"Sorry for bugging you then, Buzz," Grace apologized, wheeling herself back out the door. "Let's go, Leora."

The leopardess followed her out and into the elevator. "Garrett lied to me," she spoke, starting to tear up.

"How?"

"He told me he didn't know of any other humans."

"And… How exactly did you jump to the conclusion that he's human?"

"Come on, same coat? Where have you ever seen a coat like that?"

Grace laughed. "Leora, there are any number of things that could have happened. It could be an honest mistake."

"He said it himself, Garrett has the same exact badge on his coat."

"What does the badge even mean?"

"He always dodged the question."

Grace sighed. "There's something important you need to understand about relationships, Leora. He's allowed to keep secrets as much as you are."

"But I don't keep secrets from him."

"Do you always tell him the truth when he asks you a question?"

"Yeah, I-" Leora stopped as she began to think the question over more. She recalled how she pushed him away in Honshu, as well as several other times before then where she tried to play coy. "Either way, he has a lot of explaining to do when I see him again."

"Here, how about I take you out to lunch?" Grace offered. "I'm sure something nice and filling will calm you down, at least a little."

"Unlike your husband, my stomach isn't the best way to get to me."

"No, but it is a way, isn't it?"

"It had better be some damn good lunch."

"Well, there's a cafe here. I know they have good coffee. Their donuts are pretty decent, too."

"Donuts and coffee don't count as lunch."

"They do if you work here for fourteen hours a day."

"Well, if you're saying praise about their donuts, they have to be at least half good." Leora grabbed the handles on the wheelchair and proceeded to the cafe in the lobby. "So what's good here?"

"It's all good."

"What do you get?"

"Coffee, decaf, black with a plain donut."

Leora laughed. "That's the most boring meal I've ever heard of."

"Yeah, but hey, I can't depend on caffeine to get me through my day."

"Well, why not water or something?"

"Nothing says 'hey, wake up, it's Monday' like something horrifically bitter and awful to start your day."

Leora laughed. "How about I buy, then. Go ahead and get something a little better than you can afford."

"Wow, rude. I'm going to drain your account with this drink."

She wheeled up to the counter and the worker there greeted her with enthusiasm. "Director Cynewulf, so glad to have you back!"

"Horace, hey!"

"Drinks are on me," he responded. "Get anything you want!"

"Black coffee and-"

Leora gently nudged Grace in the back of her head. "Get something real, come on," she insisted.

"Fine, fine. I'll take a black decaf tea with sugar, and a glazed donut."

"Live a little, Grace," Leora muttered. "I'll have a coffee; whitener, sugar, and some caramel and chocolate syrup over top."

"Chocolate syrup?" the barista questioned. "Are you…"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Leora claimed. "And don't skimp either, I like the flavor."

The attendant refused to take any money, so Leora stuffed several hundred into the tip jar. "Really trying to one-up me, huh?" Grace murmured. "I said I would treat you to coffee."

"Hey, I felt bad for you."

"I don't need your pity," Grace answered, chuckling.

"Don't call it pity, call it a treat."

Nearly immediately they received their drinks, and they found an open table. "So, from what I can tell, you sound like you have marital problems without even being married," Grace started. "Give me the details."

"Well, where to start?" Leora began sarcastically. "He left me for a month, and came back only when I got shot. I feel like he's keeping important secrets from me. I understand not talking about the little things, but the way he acts is incredibly suspicious…"

"What, you think he's cheating on you?"

"He wouldn't do that."

"Good that you know that. Flat-face doesn't really have a lot of options."

"Grace!"

"I tell it like I see it," the wolf answered, sipping at her drink.

"No, what I'm worried about isn't that he's cheating, it's that he's keeping secrets that are relevant to me."

"Like what? You were planning on proposing, right?"

"You don't think he found out, do you?!"

"It's definitely possible. Maybe he's trying to see how far you'll go for him."

"But why would he do that?"

"He's a psychopath Leora, your guess is as good as mine."

Leora took a long drink from her beverage. "He wouldn't do that."

"Talk to him when he gets back. Don't pussyfoot around."

"Easier said than done."

"Why's that? It's not like anything bad will happen."

"You don't know that."

Grace stared at her with a clearly puzzled, slightly disappointed expression. "You just told me he wouldn't do that, and now you're suggesting something bad will happen. Tell me the truth, what's going on?"

Leora sat with a blank expression for a while. Just before Grace was about to change the subject, she finally answered. "He's lived such a long life. He's met so many good people and mammals, and he's lost so many as well. What if he's keeping things from me because he doesn't want to get attached? What if he's tired of losing the things he loves?"

"Leora, come on," Grace comforted, hugging the leopardess. "You know that isn't true."

"I'm not his first rodeo."

"No, but you're a big cat." The wolf flashed a toothy grin. "You're the best rodeo he'll ever ride, if you catch my-"

Leora clamped Grace's mouth shut with her fingers. "You know I didn't mean it in that sense."

Grace rolled her eyes, and Leora let go. "How about this," the wolf suggested. "I'll go with you to talk to him."

"Why?"

"Because you sound like you need someone there."

"I can do it just fine."

"Yeah, but you won't." Grace checked the clock in the corner. "We have a couple hours before I should get going. Come on, I need to stretch my legs. Let's walk through the park."

"I never took you for the 'scenic route' type."

"Everyone has to take a break in a while. Besides, I could use the fresh air, and you could use a plan."

Grace nearly stood from the wheelchair, but Leora held her down by her shoulders. "Not so fast. We're making it out the front door first." The wolf nearly protested, but Leora interrupted her. "If you whine I'm recording it and putting it online."

Grace muttered something about 'criminal levels of extortion' but allowed the leopardess to wheel her through the front doors. The second the door shut behind them, she locked the wheels, grabbed her cane, and tried her best to stand. It took Leora's help, but in moments she was upright. "Now," she began, looking down the marble steps. "The stairs."

"At least it's going down," Leora commented. "Took you ten minutes to make it up."

The wolf punched her shoulder playfully, grinning. "Don't worry, I'll do it in nine."

* * *

 **A/N: I can't believe the 20th was really 10 days ago. I tweaked a few sentences here and there because Taemur's character felt really base and uninteresting:  
** **1\. His conversation with Rigel  
** **2\. Jin-Roh's story about him and Vitya  
** **3\. The fight at the farmhouse  
** **4\. The most recent visit to Serenity**

 **Things I have left to do:  
** **1\. Fix up chapter 6.  
2\. Finish fixing the prequel.**

 **I don't know why I ever wrote chapter 6, and I'm about halfway there on my rewrite for the prequel. A lot of my writing decisions were weird, like why Regulus was so erratic, or why I never expanded on anyone's character.**

 **Take for instance Lyra: being a very purebred fox, she has very vulpine characteristics. Her eyes have slit pupils, so she has very good night vision, even among predators. However, the extensive selective breeding also has some detriments, including decreased color sensitivity.**

 **On the other hand, her father: a brilliant virologist and a fox with powerful connections, who knows that nearly every female in his bloodline is doomed to die from one genetic disease or another, desperate to find a solution, unwilling to gamble the odds that when he has kits, if one is a daughter, they might somehow escape the curse.**

 **Lyra has violet eyes. She can feel pain, and she can see colors, even if it's not very well. She's a "knock-out" fox.**

 **In any case, for the rewrite, I'm definitely expanding on and fixing the above two. Regulus deserves better.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Tundratown**

Sirius slowly opened his eyes and saw nothing. As his other senses came to he heard a slow but steady dripping, then smelled…

He immediately retched. The smell of blood was overpowering. He tried to stand but the pain in his hindpaws was too great, so he settled for all fours. As he tried to get acquainted with his surroundings, he kept bumping into furniture in the dark. He hit his head on two corners of the same table and several walls before deciding that going headfirst was dumb, so he began feeling his way with his arms. Over time, as he felt his way around the outside wall, he realized he was in his basement. He felt his way to the stairs and saw the glow of light from the door at the top.

"Freedom, finally."

Sirius paused. It wasn't his voice. He tried to talk but found he couldn't speak, quite literally. It pained him to talk.

Something lifted him and carried him back into the dark basement, throwing him less than gently into the corner he was in before.

Sirius glanced back up and saw two glowing eyes staring back. Several moments later, the lights came on.

The floor and walls were smeared in blood. He was mostly bare, and what little clothing he had left was shredded. He was hamstrung. The tiger in the room was now hunched over before him. Most frighteningly, he had no recollection of how he came to be in that position.

"Hello. Tell me, what do you remember?" the tiger spoke.

Sirius tried to respond but couldn't.

"You'll have to settle for whispering."

"Who are you?" Sirius whispered.

"Perfect. Do you know what this is?" The tiger held up a vial of milky liquid.

"No."

"Excellent. Then we can try this again." The tiger pulled up a small chair. "I am here to help you, but I need you to tell me a few things. Sirius was it, right?"

"Wait… Who are you? How do you know that name?"

"Focus, Sirius. Who is Grace?"

Sirius frowned. "Why?"

"I need to find who did this to you."

"What does Grace have anything to do with this?"

"Tell me."

"Help me first."

"I have no guarantee that you won't help me."

"You don't trust me. That, or you did this to me."

The tiger chuckled, then broke out into full blown laughter.

"I hoped I would only have to torture you once, but I suppose you forced my hand."

"Hand… You…"

"Yup. I'll ask again, who is Grace?"

"No."

The tiger slowly slid a kitchen knife into his abdomen; he gasped.

"I'm running out of non-vital organs to skewer."

"N-no."

"Fine. How about a different question. Where did Jack go? Where did Hiro and the boy go?"

"I… they're gone?"

"Right, right…" The tiger glanced at the vial filled with the milky substance. "I'm getting rusty, I haven't done this in so long. So, I'm going to ask you a very simple question, and I want you to answer it in any way you like. I will reward you accordingly."

He paused for Sirius to acknowledge him, and the wolf weakly nodded.

"Good. My question is as follows: what do you know about Kai?"

"Why… do you care?"

The tiger slid the knife in slightly deeper, and Sirius gasped accordingly.

"Because," Amier seethed, "I am looking for someone that you can help me find, and since you aren't willing to answer any of my other questions, then perhaps you can at least give me something to work with."

"Who?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"Call it stalling."

The tiger smiled. "For what?"

"Because I don't like you already."

Amier twisted the knife and Sirius howled as loud as he could, which was hardly more than a hoarse 'ahh'.

"Your antics do amuse me, Sirius, but I will entertain you. As for your previous question of 'who', the answer is my dear old friend Vitya."

Sirius frowned, which prompted the tiger to laugh.

"So you do know him."

"No."

"You know of him."

"No."

"You're lying. Do you know how I can tell? Your heartbeat quickened. Ever so slightly, but it did."

"And what if it did? I'm in a tense spot, you have a knife in my lungs."

"If it was in your lungs, you would not be talking nearly as eloquently as you are now. No, it's just next to a nerve cluster in your abdomen. If I move the knife…" The tiger twisted it slightly and Sirius gave a pathetic yelp. "It hurts, and you stop talking. If I don't, you talk just fine. Effective, no? Now, tell me about Vitya. What do you know about him?"

"No."

The tiger twisted the knife again, but Sirius resisted the urge to squirm.

"Look, if you're not going to squirm for this, I have things that will hurt much, much more." He held up another vial filled with transparent fluid. "It lasts three weeks, and you won't like a second of it."

Sirius glared, but eventually responded. "Fine. I give you two questions."

"Every question, or this will get very ugly."

"Two from the goodness of my heart. If you hurt me, then you answer to Garrett."

"He's dead."

"I doubt it, but let's pretend you're right. You have much more to fear. You're looking for this Vitya fellow. Garrett respects him, and you fear Garrett. Do the math."

Amier growled and punched the wall, leaving a sizable dent; there were several such dents already. Sirius grinned.

"Two question, so be it. Question one: you surely know what Kai's coat looks like. Have you seen it anywhere else?"

"That's… an oddly specific question."

"And your answer?"

"I believe I have seen it somewhere else, yes."

They both sat in silence for several moments.

"Go on," the tiger prompted.

"You asked a yes or no question. I gave you my answer. What is your second question?"

The tiger chuckled.

"Tricky bastard. Very well. Where have you seen that coat?"

"In the city."

"Where in the city?"

"That's a third question."

The tiger twisted the knife sharply.

"No, that's a clarification on the second. You didn't answer it in a satisfactory manner."

"Fine, fine, just stop!"

The tiger eased on the pressure. "Your answer, then?"

"The Court lodge!"

"Which is?"

"Where we first saw each other!"

"Is that what that is? Very well. How long ago was it?"

"That's question three."

"Very well." The tiger drew the contents of the milky vial into a syringe.

"No, no! We had a deal, I answered two questions!"

"I know. This isn't the pain serum."

"Then what is it?"

"It will make you forget. I'm just getting my next two questions."

"What?"

"You are so predictable. I just have to play you right. I act rusty at my job, ask about Grace, torture you enough until you agree to answer a certain number of questions… sometimes two, sometimes three, sometimes even four… I act outraged but accept, and you give me my answers. I already know who Grace is, and you've answered seventeen so far."

"No! Stop!"

Sirius would have kicked his legs were they not hamstrung, but scrambled to the staircase as fast as he could regardless.

"And then you do this. Don't worry, you never make it far."

The wolf reached the bottom of the stairs when he felt a needle jab into his side.

"You're on the clock," the tiger spoke. "Let's see if you can track the blood farther this time."

Sirius climbed stair after stair, become more weary with each step. Why was he climbing? Why were the stairs bloody? Why did his legs pain him? He tried to stand on his hind legs but immediately fell forward. He heard a chuckle behind him, but whatever was left of his desire to climb far surpassed his desire to check the source of the noise. He eventually surpassed the last bloody step and tracked blood onto the first pristine step.

"Grace is gonna kill me for getting the floor dirty," he whispered. He fell on his side against the cold floor at the top of the stairs, careful not to impale himself any further.

"Hmm. I should probably squeeze my answers out sooner rather than later. Looks like you're getting rather tolerant."

"Don't kill me."

"You've behaved thus far, and I reward good behavior. I won't kill you. Whether or not I maim you any further depends on how well you answer my questions." He deftly pulled the knife out. "It's a moot point since you'll forget everything once I drag you back down. I do enjoy this game, don't you?"

Sirius spat at him; it landed on the tiger's clothing.

"You shouldn't have done that." Amier took the knife, forced Sirius' mouth open, and placed the blade inside before pausing. "Oh, what the hell, I'll be nice." He removed the knife and allowed Sirius to pull away. "Sweet dreams."

The wolf thrashed for several minutes more before his muscles stopped obeying him and his mind went numb.

* * *

Sirius slowly opened his eyes and saw nothing. As his other senses came to he heard a slow but steady dripping, then smelled…


	21. Chapter 21

**Four Hours Later**

Amier finished adjusting his tie and glanced in the mirror. The suit was more or less presentable. It was difficult to compare himself to the bloodied wolf in the basement, so he found several pictures on the wolf's phone to use as reference when adjusting the minutiae in his fur.

He walked down the stairs, getting used to the slight variance in balance and the lack of vision due to the eyepatch as he went, careful not to track into the blood. He paused at the top of the stairs to listen and, satisfied that he heard nothing, continued out the door.

Sirius' chauffeur was waiting in the driveway and opened the car door for him. He thanked the lion and stepped inside.

"Where to?" the chauffeur inquired.

"ZSS Headquarters."

"Right away."

They set out. About ten minutes in, a phone in Amier's pocket rang. The display read 'Grace', so he answered the call.

"Grace, darling."

"Ian, were you successful?"

"I told the Court to call off their search, but I wasn't let much further than the lobby. I'm on my way to ZSS to see if I can figure out more than–"

"ZSS? Why?"

"I was getting to that. There was a slight complication in the form of a wolf wearing an overcoat."

"What kind of overcoat?" spoke a different voice.

"Who is that?" Amier inquired.

"What do you mean, who is that?" the voice inquired again.

"Never mind that, it was the same that Kai wears, slightly different color."

He heard mumbling on the other end of the line.

"Alright, we'll meet up there," Grace responded.

"Where are you now?"

"Just past the Tundratown Wall. We were initially on our way home."

"I suppose since we're both relatively close to ZSS, we could skip the hassle and meet up there," he responded. "Jack has things handled here pretty well."

"Alright." She hung up.

After twenty minutes, he finally reached the front entrance of the building. He stepped out, nearly stumbling over the curb, but managed to stay standing. He adjusted his tie, but before he could take a step forward, several passersby stopped next to him and asked to take a picture.

He rolled his eyes but agreed. When they finally scattered, several more pedestrians asked, and then several more. He quickly raced up the stairs and into the building before anyone else could bother him. There, he found himself in a large atrium with various mammals walking around.

His ears followed the pitter patter of paws scurrying about the room, and he swatted at them when they turned against his volition. He hardly noticed the two mammals that were behind him until they actually were.

"Ian," spoke a wolf with a cane, turning his head to kiss him. "Glad to see you're alright."

"Glad to be alright," he responded.

The second mammal kept snapping her fingers behind his head, causing his ears to flick to the source of the noise.

"Do you enjoy causing me misery?" he inquired.

"No, but I do when you can't recognize me over the phone."

"Oh, lovely," he murmured sarcastically. "Grace, who is this cheetah?"

Grace and the feline exchanged a glance, then Grace gave a pained chuckle, holding her hip.

"You said you saw a white wolf in a coat?" Grace asked.

"Yes, at the lodge. He was bossing your agents around and they wouldn't let me any further than the lobby."

Grace gave an effort to pace, but couldn't move much more than one step in any direction.

"Let's ask Swift, if there's anyone who would know about field agents other than me, it would be him."

"After you."

Grace argued against a wheelchair for several minutes before they proceeded to an elevator, then walked down a lengthy hallway to an office with a frosted window labeled 'Assoc. Dir. Swift'; Grace gave a firm knock.

"One moment." The door opened to reveal a cheetah in a very disheveled suit without its jacket. "Director Cynewulf, Senator Cynewulf, and… guest, welcome. What can I do for you?"

"Did you have field agents out at the lodge taking orders from anyone other than you?"

"ZBI asked for a few, I assumed you knew."

Grace looked from Swift to the other feline and back again.

"Was it her?"

"No, it was some white wolf, same coat as Sinclaw."

"His name?" Amier asked.

"ZBI Agent… Uhh…" Swift scratched his chin in thought. "I forget his surname, but he told us to call him Ilya."

"It's him."

"Who?" Grace asked.

"Did he say where he went?" Amier inquired.

"No, just that he needed to 'clean up a mess', and that he was on a very tight schedule."

"Absolutely nothing at all?"

"Sorry, no."

"Damn."

"I hear Buzz spoke with him."

"We spoke with him too," Grace interjected. "He didn't know much, either."

"Try Van."

"Say, why do you look like crap?"

"Long day."

"I see. You should take a vacation."

"I wish. Someone has to manage this work."

"It'll be taken care of. I'll finish the paperwork when I can."

"Thanks."

He slowly closed the door.

"So, Van?" Amier spoke.

"Alright," Grace responded.

They continued down a series of winding turns to another office whose window read 'Assoc. Dir. Vanagandr'. Again, Grace knocked on the door. It was answered by a wolf.

"Grace," he spoke.

"Van," she responded. "Have you seen a white wolf in a coat like Sinclaw's?"

"He instructed me to stop our search, but other than that, he walked off and I haven't seen him since. Why do you ask?"

"I was hoping you could help us find him."

"Sorry, no."

"Very well. Thanks for the help."

"Mhm." Van closed the door. The trio returned to the lobby, and Grace's cane slipped. She caught Amier's shoulder and stopped her fall nearly instantly.

"Careful," Amier spoke, helping her back up. "The cheetah was right, you should have taken the wheelchair."

"Thanks," she responded, giving him another, slightly more passionate kiss.

Once more, the feline snapped her fingers, and again, he slapped at his ears when they flicked to the noise.

"You know, Grace, you caught yourself a keeper," the feline responded, groping him. "Ian's a great wolf."

"Leora, what are you-?!" Grace interjected, hushing her voice. "Get your paw out of my husband's pants!"

"Leora?" Amier muttered, intrigued. "Getting a bit frisky, no? We aren't even married."

"Neither are you."

A gunshot rang out; Amier felt immediate pain in his flank. He rotated around to slap at Leora, but she ducked under and fired a second shot into his belly. She continued avoiding his blows and emptied the rest of her clip into his ribs and neck. He collapsed onto the floor, and a pool of blood began growing on the floor.

"Ian!" Grace shrieked. She was bawling and had nearly fallen to the floor, but Leora stopped her. She reloaded her weapon and pointed it at the impostor.

"You clearly aren't Roh or Garrett, and since you're looking for the white wolf, I presume you aren't the real Vitya. Who are you?" Leora hissed. "Where are Garrett and Roh?"

"How did you know I wasn't Sirius?" Amier asked, giving a pained laugh.

"Where are Garrett and Roh?" she repeated.

"It couldn't have been my mannerisms. I had them down perfectly. I knew everything he knew, but…" He grinned as he came to the realization. "I didn't know your name, Leora. I didn't recognize you over the phone."

By this time, everyone with a weapon had it drawn and pointed at her. Grace whistled sharply and pointed at Amier, and they trained their weapons on him.

"But I suppose that wasn't it," Amier continued. "My sarcastic lilt could have been construed as playful, and although suspicious, that wasn't enough evidence. I assume your snapping wasn't done jestfully, it was done to check something."

"You batted your ears."

"So what?"

"Garrett did the same. Any startled mammal would flinch, not merely stand still with only their ears swiveling."

"Still not enough suspicion to warrant shooting me." He sat up and she shot him, sending him back to the floor. "Watch it, this suit is dry clean only."

"That's why you…" Grace began, trailing off. "Ian would have jumped."

"You know, you really are clever, Leora. I must admit, you out of all people have my respect because you caught on to the fact that I was an impostor. Not even his own wife did. The groping, the snapping, done as a test because you knew another human, yet played off because you were friends with the wolf long enough where, if you were wrong, it could be seen as a joke in bad taste. The fact that I didn't recognize you, well… there are some things you can't get out of someone through torture," Amier crooned, attempting once more to stand. Leora emptied her clip again, loading another into her weapon.

"Torture?!" Grace shrieked.

"I got to know him more intimately than you ever will. I've seen more of him than you ever could, particularly his internal organs–" He tried to stand and Leora shot him again, but he didn't fall. She continued placing bullets into his legs but he refused to go down.

"Leora, be a good bitch and stop embarrassing yourself. Cobalt munitions might have worked a week ago, when I was still a mortal man. I have since far surpassed that barrier."

"Open fire!" she commanded. Every agent immediately emptied their clips into him. When they were done, he stumbled before falling over.

"Is he dead?" Grace asked.

Leora carefully circled around him. The only thing she could see was the steam rising from the heat of his wounds against the air conditioned room.

"I'm afraid not," Amier responded, giving a gurgled laughter. He attempted to get up but fell flat on his face.

The precious few mammals who had a spare clip reloaded, and everyone else scrambled to find cover. Leora threw Grace less than gracefully to someone who helped her to an exit and pulled the fire alarm.

"Run!" Leora shouted. "Intercom that there's a fire!"

"Really?" Amier muttered, chuckling. He fell to his knees, still unable to get up completely. "Pulling an alarm when there's no fire? Isn't that a felony?"

A small canister slid directly below him.

"There will be."

* * *

 **Concurrently**

Jack woke up in a small dugout in a snowbank. It was still bright out, and the air smelled of fish.

He turned his nose at the smell but began to crawl out, instantly stopping when pain shot through his back. He glanced over his shoulder at the source of the pain and noticed he was draped in an appropriately sized parka, which he quickly put on properly before proceeding more carefully.

When he climbed out, he discovered he was in one of Tundratown's fish markets, and that Hiro and Ichiro were nowhere to be seen. He glanced at his surroundings: behind was nothing but barren snow and blizzard; there was evidently a vent nearby. Above were rooftops that were too far for either him or a human to jump across, so he clearly wasn't dropped, and below he could tell that there were no prints of any kind, rabbit or human. He was either thrown from afar into an existing burrow at some indeterminate point of time, or he was dug into a new one and was there long enough for the snow to cover the tracks.

Seeing no other option, Jack folded his ears back over his head, pulled the parka's hood up, and walked seamlessly into the flow of pedestrian traffic. Arctic mammals went about their daily business while several non-arctic mammals in parkas or other thermal wear lingered about. He stuck out as the one of the latter few mammals in a sea of white. Although his hopes were low, he watched the other such mammals as he searched his pockets for anything that might be of use.

He found nobody of interest in the crowd, but several things of interest in his coat: a pocket knife; a sealed bag of dried salted fish; a seemingly arbitrary amount of loose change; a small piece of extremely heavy metal, shaped almost like a bullet without a casing; finally, a folded piece of paper.

Since the rest were of marginal usefulness at the moment, he took the paper and unfolded it. It was penned impeccably:

 _"Jack: I'm sure by now you know your coat is filled with several oddities. They will all be useful in one capacity or another on your adventure. I cannot tell you how this adventure will end, although I can tell you how it will begin. By the time you reach the beginning of the last word of this note, you will bump into an old friend. Treat them to a snack, it's their favorite. Be kind, and remember that Hiro and Ichiro are already taken care of. Best regards, –"_

Before he could read the author's name, Jack ran into someone and fell over; the note flew into the breeze before he could grab it.

"Watch where you're going," Jack murmured, before sitting up. He found himself staring into two slit violet eyes belonging to a black vixen. "Lyra."

"Jack," she responded, less than pleased. Neal brushed her off and helped her stand, before helping him stand as well. "Which cat dragged you in?"

"I…"

"Whatever. Neal, let's go."

"Wait!" He remembered the note and retrieved the bag of fish. "I have something."

He offered it to her. She declined, so he gave it to the arctic fox.

"Huh," Neal remarked. "My favorite. How did you know?"

"I didn't. A note did."

"Who wrote it?" Lyra questioned.

"I couldn't read the name before we bumped into each other. I woke up in a ditch ten minutes ago with someone else's parka draped over me. Hiro and Ichiro are supposedly safe, if the note is to be believed, but Sirius is in mortal danger."

"Where are Leora and Grace?"

"ZSS headquarters. I need your phone."

"What happened to yours?"

"I don't have it!"

"I'll call them myself." She retrieved her phone and dialed a number; several moments later she redialed, but again it didn't go through. "They're not answering. Neal?"

"Hmm?" the white fox hummed, mouth full of food.

"We should go help."

"This isn't something we can do!" Jack warned. "I shot him dead center and he didn't even flinch!"

Lyra paused, then dialed another number. It, too, wasn't answered.

"Hmm."

She typed away at her phone before another, much larger mammal bumped into them.

"Hey!" Jack hissed.

"Look!" the polar bear spoke, pointing into the distance. A very large plume of smoke billowed in the distance.

"What is that?" Lyra asked. "Where is that coming from?"

"Is no one from the Court paging you?" Jack queried.

"I turned it off."

"Check!"

She tapped once and her phone gave a nearly constant tone; in reality, they were distinct blips, one for each notification, but they came at such a rapid rate that they were indistinguishable.

"ZSS," she breathed.

"If the trouble's there, then we have to help Sirius," Jack spoke quickly.

Lyra nodded. "Let's go."

"What's the fastest way?"

"From here…" She consulted her phone. "Two train stops."

"I hate the train," Jack grumbled under his breath.

"I heard that," Lyra spoke, racing off through the market; the others kept up. "But if what you're saying is true, then suck it up."

They weaved through the pedestrian traffic until they reached the train platform. Lyra and Neal swiped train passes and went through, but Jack paused.

"Come on!" Lyra shouted. "It's about to leave!"

"I don't have a pass!"

"We don't have any cash!"

"I don't…" He fished through his pockets and found the loose change. "How much is a ticket?"

"A day pass is two bucks seventy-five."

Jack shrugged and went to a machine to the side where he tossed the entire handful of cash in to receive a small paper card. He returned, swiped the card, and was admitted to the platform. They barely made it onto the train before it departed.

"Where did you get that change?" Neal asked.

"Same place I got the fish. It was in the parka."

"What else is in the parka?"

"A knife and some metal slug."

"Metal slug?"

Jack retrieved the metal and gave it to the white fox.

"This looks like a railgun slug, but it's too heavy."

Neal returned it and turned his attention back to his bag of fish.

"It's almost our stop," Lyra spoke.

"So soon?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, and you said you hate the train."

A bell dinged, the doors opened, and the vixen pushed the rabbit out; he nearly fell over and gasped when a new wave of pain coursed through his back, but Neal helped him stay standing. They proceeded down several sets of stairs and ran the remainder of the distance. When Jack stopped to rest, Neal lifted him into a fireman's carry so as not to delay.

They finally arrived at the front door and found that the hinges were ever so slightly off. The door was unlocked so they opened it, and Neal set Jack down so he could draw his weapon. Jack unfolded his knife and held it in front of him. Five steps in, the overwhelming stench of blood hit the trio.

Lyra instantly turned around to run to the door, but only made it three steps before vomiting. The others looked back, then at each other, then forward.

Jack turned the corner and saw bloody paw prints covering the entire hallway. As they got closer to the stairs, the prints gave way to stains, which gave way to puddles. The entire staircase was streaked in red.

"We shouldn't step in that," Neal spoke. "Lyra says you never know what's in–"

Jack ignored the advice and proceeded regardless. Step after step, the stench of iron in the air grew stronger until even he was nauseous, but when he reached the bottom, he flicked the lights on.

The room was painted various shades of red, seemingly from various stages of degradation and oxidation. In the far corner of the room, staring at him warily, was a very mangled and bloodied Sirius.

"Ian!" Jack shouted, running over to the wolf. As he got close, Sirius bared his fangs and cowered away. "Ian?"

It was evident he was trying to talk, but he kept clutching at his throat and bending over in pain.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

Sirius pointed at the knife. Jack glanced at it.

"This isn't to hurt you."

Again the wolf clutched at his throat. When Jack stepped closer, Sirius tried to hit him.

"Please, Ian, you have to believe me!"

Neal crept around the staircase, weapon drawn. When he saw that there was no threat, he holstered his sidearm and ran to help. Sirius bore a confused expression, but stopped throwing punches.

"Lyra!" Neal shouted. "Help!"

"It reeks!" she cried back. "There's blood everywhere!"

"We _really_ need help!" The white fox turned his attention back to the wolf; he turned his chin side to side. "What happened?"

He gave another pained attempt to speak but failed.

"He can't talk," Jack discerned. He began inspecting the wolf's wounds and found that a kitchen knife was stuck in his back; it was difficult to find what else was injured due to the blood matting Sirius' fur. "Lyra, just call Atria! Get a medevac!"

"Right when I stepped in the blood!" she yelled. "Fine!"

"Hang tight, Ian," Jack reassured, cradling the wolf's head. "Neal?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you call Leora?"

"I can try." Neal retrieved his cell phone with his non-bloody paw and dialed her number. It went to voicemail.

"Keep trying."

Four attempts later, she finally picked up.

"Neal, what do you need? I'm a bit busy!" she snapped, quieter than usual.

"Leora, listen, we–"

"We found Ian in bad shape," Jack interjected

"I figured," Leora spoke quietly; there was a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Where's Grace?"

"I don't know. Neal, who is that?"

"Wait, how can you not know where she is? You two were together!"

"I lost track of her when we had to evacuate."

"Evacuate what?"

"Look, if this isn't important, I need to hang up."

"Ian is dying!"

"I know! Can you get a handle on the situation?"

"I don't know."

"I'll wrap up here and I'll meet up with you at the hospital, just text me the room number when you get there."

Jack pulled away to hang up but paused. "Why didn't you ask about Ichiro?"

There was no response.

"Hello?"

She hung up on them.

"Must have been busy," Neal commented.

"Medevac's on the way," Lyra shouted from upstairs.

"Thanks, love!" Neal shouted back.

Jack stared at Sirius as questions filled his mind; primarily, who was his benefactor, and where were Hiro and Ichiro?


	22. Chapter 22

**Months Ago  
** **Savannah Central**

Leora threw several punches and followed them up with a reverse roundhouse. Her opponent expertly parried, then threw a kick of his own to her knee. She flipped over it, switching her balance to her other leg, and reeled around using her tail as counterbalance to kick to his face.

He caught her leg in his hand, so she pulled herself in, wrapping around his neck. She had neither the weight or the leverage to pull him to the ground, nor could she actually choke him, but he agreed that if she managed to maintain a chokehold for more than five seconds, she was the winner.

"Five," she spoke, her voice strained with effort. He reached for her but she shifted her weight. "Four." He fell to one knee suddenly, but she rotated around, swinging her tail to maintain her balance. "Three." Several more attempts ended equally in failure. "Two." He finally grabbed her tail. "One–Hey!"

She hit him over the head with her clenched paw.

"What did I say about grabbing my tail?!"

The man chuckled and released her.

"Fine, fine. You win, kitten."

"I usually do."

"At this rate, there's not much left for me to teach you."

"Drunken boxing."

"I beg your pardon?" Kai inquired.

"Drunken boxing. I heard you talking about it with Ian a while back, and I don't recall you ever teaching it to me."

"It's not very useful against other mammals from what I've seen."

"Show it to me."

"Paws up."

She took her fighting stance, but he seemed to take a half-assed attempt at one. His hands were half up, his footwork was sloppy, and he swayed ever so slightly.

She made the first kick, and he instantly swerved away and kicked her gently in the back of the head, causing her to land on all fours. She swung several more times, but he swayed, seemingly impossibly, and managed to avoid her hits.

"Useless against mammals my ass!" She spoke, panting.

He jabbed her in the ribs and swept her legs from under her.

"Well, of course. You have your tail for counterbalance."

"Well, as you so aptly demonstrated, my tail can be a liability if someone grabs it."

"Then don't let it get grabbed."

" _Don't let it get grabbed_ ," she mocked. "Easier said than done. You can just say that because you don't have a tail."

"How about this, if you can learn to fight… No, let's start with something simple like walking without your tail, I'll teach you the principles of drunken boxing."

"Well, I can't exactly chop it off."

Kai picked her up, squared her shoulders, and held her straight.

"Hold the wall," he ordered. She nodded.

He walked behind her and grabbed her tail; she shuddered noticeably. He wrapped her tail around her body, but couldn't get it to stay in place; it would either unravel or involuntarily flick away. She laughed at his attempts when her tail wouldn't stay in place, so he went to the closet and grabbed a scarf, returned, repeated the motion, then wrapped the scarf around to keep her tail in place.

"Okay, you can step away," he spoke. Her first step away was quickly followed by several stagger-steps that caused her to fall sideways. She tried to orient herself to land belly-down as she usually would, but without her tail, she landed on her hip.

"How do you walk like this?!" she shouted, massaging her side.

"Step one: get up," he began. She intently listened. "Step two: take the first step. Step three: take the next step."

"Oh, fuck you," she murmured. He chuckled.

Leora carefully got on all fours, then tried to get on her hind paws. Her knees wobbled considerably as she stood, and just as she stood upright, she fell over backwards. Kai caught her before she could injure herself.

"You're trying to walk like you have a tail," Kai advised.

"Yeah, I know."

"You don't have a mobile center of gravity anymore."

"Meaning?"

"You can't move your tail to adjust your balance. What you have is what you have."

"And?"

"You have to keep your center of gravity as low as possible." He set her back upright. "Let go when you're ready."

"Wait. Can you help me to the bed?"

He did as requested.

"Do you have something in mind?" he asked.

"I want to see you walk." She motioned back and forth with her finger.

He began to pace before her, watching her with an amused expression.

"You walk on your hock…"

"Heel," Kai corrected.

"Sure. You straighten your knees every step. Back always straight. You lean into the direction you walk."

"As do you."

"I usually lean forward regardless. Stand still for a moment."

Kai stopped and stood straight.

"Knees straight. Back straight. Still on your heels."

Leora slid off of the bed and turned around, holding it for support. She lowered herself to her hocks and straightened her knees. She righted herself and stood tall.

"Hold my arm," she commanded. He held his hand out for support, and she grabbed it as she let go of the bed.

"You're wobbling," he remarked.

"Yeah, I'm sure you wobbled the first time you walked. Let's take it slow."

She took slow and careful steps in a circle around the room, occasionally leaning heavily against Kai.

"This is hard," she muttered.

"I'm telling you, it's not worth it," Kai responded. "You have your tail."

"I won't let you dissuade me. I'll get good at it, mark my words."

* * *

 **Present Day  
** **Edo International Airport**

Kai opened his eyes. Roh was still pacing back and forth before him as he had been for the past two hours. They were in a private lounge, waiting for the past twelve hours; Serenity had left them stranded, although they were hardly surprised. Whether the plane wasn't at the gate, or the crew had to be moved to a different plane, or some other third thing, they kept getting denied their trip.

After the first delay, Kai called his pilot; naturally, the speed of bureaucracy was slower than he would have liked, and they warned it would take some time before they could ready the plane, get clearance for takeoff, get clearance for landing, and so on.

"You were asleep for a while," Roh commented. "A long while."

"I was tired."

"Unusual. Next you'll tell me you were dreaming."

"I was."

Roh stared at him for several seconds.

"Before you ask," the wolf continued, "no, there's still no news of the plane."

"I see." Kai stood and stretched. It was a bizarre feeling; he had spent the entirety of his life as a human, and now that he could be any mammal he wanted, when his muscles and bones shifted, it sent jolts through his body entirely differently than he was used to. "Serenity is playing us."

"You couldn't even imagine. Your chess game? He knew you cheated. He merely let you win."

"To what end is he toying with us, though? When I was there he told me he wanted my archives."

"I have no doubt he covets the past, but whatever momentary pleasure he may garner from it will not last him even a fraction of a second."

"Then what?"

"What's the one thing that an omniscient being would desire more than anything else?"

"Something that he doesn't know. This is textbook sci-fi, Roh."

"Something that he can create, yet not know the result of."

"But there's nothing he can create that he couldn't know every possible result for."

"He can read every mammal like an open book. He can read Taemur and me as well. The only two things in the known universe, living or otherwise, that he cannot predict, are you and Vitya."

"How do you know this? Did Serenity tell you, or are you deducing it on your own?"

"Serenity mentioned it, but somehow I don't doubt that he's telling the truth. He has no motivation to perform any action otherwise. He is confined to his lair with no hope of escape. Vitya wouldn't free him; not for you, not for me, not for all of humanity, not even for his own life… not that there's anyone in the world that even poses a threat to him anymore."

"Meaning it's very likely that Taemur is not as gone as we had hoped. I just pray we can get back before he does."

"Suppose you're correct about Taemur running amok. Serenity can put anyone anywhere. Even if by some miracle Serenity didn't immediately place him back in the city, he had a twelve hour head start, give or take how long it took us to get here. It's a fourteen hour commercial flight, but I imagine we'll fly with your pilot since his jet can travel mach three. It will take two hours until takeoff, then another six or seven to fly and perform proper landing procedures, since flying at full power for almost seven thousand miles would tear the plane apart."

"So another eight at least until we're back."

"Assuming he's here right now."

"You never know. In any case, that jet is designed to fly at full power for a sustained period of time."

Roh chose not to respond; instead, he sighed and went to the windows.

"Have you managed to reach Leora or the others?" Kai inquired.

"The reception here is poor and they wouldn't let me leave the building, but I managed to leave a message on Leora's voicemail box, as well as Ian's."

"Let us hope nothing bad has transpired."

"Agreed."

* * *

 **25 Miles Outside of Zootopia  
** **6 Miles Underground  
** **8 Hours Prior**

Hiro released his palm from the scanner on the central computer. After several seconds of processing, it gave a satisfied beep.

He pressed his other hand on the scanner and repeated the process. When that was finished, a small keycard ejected from the terminal, which he removed and placed into a lanyard.

"That's it?" he inquired.

"That's it," the white wolf affirmed. "You can eat, drink, and sleep in the upper level quarters. You also have limited access to the archives."

The man bowed deeply.

"Thank you," he spoke softly.

"You're welcome." The wolf turned to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm afraid I have other matters I must address. Worry not, however. You are safe here." The wolf turned the corner; not even the pitter-patter of his paws was audible. Hiro held his son and hastily walked out into the hall after the wolf, but he was gone.

The human checked the other direction, then in several of the rooms on the way down the hall, but decided not against checking any further. He proceeded up the stairs to the upper levels of the complex and found himself and his child something to eat.

Afterwards, Hiro promptly put his child to bed, but couldn't fall asleep himself; his mind couldn't stop racing over the events that had transpired that day, so he walked to the console and browsed through the various archives that were there.

He opened the collection on history and started with the end of the twenty-first century. If he was going to live in a world ravaged by the wars of his ancestors, he might as well know why.

Text after text, the same names appeared over and over. Most frequent of these was Ozymandias, followed by Kai; slightly less frequent was Amier, a name that Hiro sneered at; Vitya was next in frequency. Hiro was surprised to see that neither Andrei nor Jin-Roh appeared much if at all; their mentions were limited to several chapters in the lengthy expanse of human history.

Hiro kept several notes open on a small text document, which he referenced while tabbing through various archives. He decided to start his search with Andrei, the man… wolf… he no longer knew what Andrei was anymore, but he began his search with perhaps his closest friend, if he could even be called that.

The search results were somewhat limited, but most of the files revealed the man's origins, his victories, his singular defeat which caused him to fade into obscurity, and everything in between.

His next search was Amier. The results revealed a longer list with similar information. Hiro was surprised to know that Amier was once very good friends with the others and had been through several wars with them. His last major battle was with Kai, where his battalion suffered heavy casualties and he was separated from Kai. Hiro began to feel a sense of pity, although his anger was far from gone.

Vitya's search result yielded a very stellar record, widely regarded as one of, if not the best in human history. His final battle was in Siberia, where he was killed in action by a mortar blast. Hiro paused. If Vitya died, how was he… He shook his head. If Andrei was Jin-Roh now, then someone else could be Vitya.

Every single file under Kai's name was restricted for him, and nearly every single file under Ozymandias' name was as well, save for one: an entry in the bunker's log dated thirty-five years in.

"Today, November 11th, 2335 AD, the man I had come to know less than fondly as Ozymandias, full name Vladimir Cyneric Aodh, has perished. Cause of death, heart failure due to old age. I pray there are others who have survived, but to my knowledge, I am the only one alive."

Hiro paused. The name was eerily familiar to him, and not because of some text that he had read before.

By this point, he was too tired to continue, so he put the terminal to sleep and went to bed; his last thoughts before he drifted off focused on where he had heard the name before.


	23. Chapter 23

**ZSS Headquarters**

Amier covered his eyes with his arm, but even he wasn't prepared for the amount of incendiary in the canister. When it exploded, the gel completely covered the entire front of his body, his legs, his arms, the bottom of his snout, and the end of his tail, as well as much of the surrounding area.

It immediately soaked through his suit and fur and bound to his skin, where it began to heat at an immense rate until it began to smoke.

"Bitch!" he shouted. He quickly stood and tried to attack her, but the incendiary finally caught fire, stopping him in his place. He roared in agony as his flesh began to burn away but, determined to kill the leopardess, he continued to trudge forward.

She placed several bullets into his face, including a well-placed shot into his eye, rendering him effectively blind. Enraged, he tore the eyepatch from his other eye, but immediately regretted it when the gel from his arm dripped onto his face, blinding him.

He flailed wildly, throwing the napalm all across the room. Leora hid behind an overturned table to prevent herself from getting sprayed, but when she tried to glance over the cover, Amier cast the table aside.

"I can still hear you!" he shrieked, attempting to grab her. She took a chair and forced it between them, preventing him from coming any closer. The napalm dripped dangerously close to her, but she managed to hold him at bay long enough to gain leverage against him, and threw him to the floor.

Amier reeled around and stood on all fours, sprinting to where she was. She raced across the tabletops and he followed her until she jumped up and grabbed a vertical column. He slid across the floor and paused.

"You can't hide forever!" he yelled, swaying from side to side. He was unfortunately right, as the room quickly began to fill with smoke, and she was forced to climb down the column as quietly as she could until she reached the ground level.

As she made for the exit, she felt her phone vibrate and paused; thankfully, the burning monstrosity hadn't heard it over the crackling napalm. When it finally stopped ringing, she proceeded around the burning puddles on the floor and towards the door.

To her dismay, the first door she tried was locked and rattled against its frame, and he barreled after her. She couldn't open another in time, so she ducked to avoid her attacker and crept away to find cover in the form of the front desk. Amier thrashed around wildly, breaking glass and destroying tables, but didn't appear to know which direction she had chosen; as he burned, his hearing was evidently failing him.

He also knew that, and had begun to patrol the room, staying mostly close to the exits. Leora stayed where she was for a long time, trying to memorize his pattern, but could not find one. Just as she was about to try her luck, her phone rang again. Thankfully, the wolf didn't notice. It rang again, and again, and on the fourth ring, she finally checked the screen: the caller was Neal, and the missed call was Lyra. She answered it.

"Neal, what do you need? I'm a bit busy!" she hissed.

"Leora, listen, we–"

"We found Ian in bad shape," spoke a second voice.

"I figured," she responded quietly. She glanced over her cover and found that the wolf was coming closer on his patrol route; the visibility above standing height was near zero due to the smoke; she would have to hurry.

"Where's Grace?" spoke the voice.

"I don't know," Leora responded. "Neal, who is that?"

"Wait, how can you not know where she is? You two were together!"

"I lost track of her when we had to evacuate."

"Evacuate what?"

"Look, if this isn't important, I need to hang up."

"Ian is dying!"

"I know! Can you get a handle on the situation?"

"I don't know."

"I'll wrap up here and I'll meet up with you at the hospital, just text me the room number when you get there." She glanced up and the wolf was face to face with her.

"Found you," he warbled, vocal cords now disfigured.

She kicked the table at him which staggered him momentarily, allowing her to shoot him in the leg. With very little connective tissue or muscle left, the bullet shredded the rest of it away, forcing him to fall to the side. She attempted to scramble away, but he kept up with her at an alarming rate.

Her back hit the wall, so she looked around for an escape. The desk was too tall to climb over; she would have to stand to vault it, and she didn't have the time. The back exit of the desk was a door, and to unlock it would take time she didn't have. She was cornered.

Leora aimed her handgun at him and squeezed the trigger, but heard only a hollow click. She racked the slide and squeezed again, but had the same reaction. She reached for another magazine but was out of ammunition.

"What's the matter, kitten? Scared?"

"There are only three mammals that get to call me kitten, and you're not one of them!" she shouted.

"Go to hell!"

He dove at her and she barely reeled out of the way; she pranced from the wall and nearly over the desk, but a paw gripped her tail, stopping her short.

Leora slammed against the front of the desk as a jolt ran up her spine. She wriggled, trying to free herself in vain, but the grip was too tight; she felt the napalm burn its way through her fur into her tail.

"You have pained me far more than anyone else who has ever lived." Amier tried to stand, but his muscles were mostly burnt away, and he was no longer able to move as fluently. Regardless, he managed to loom over her. "Your death will be excruciating."

He yanked on her tail and pulled her up the desk. Just as he was in reach, she drew her knife and stabbed it through his wrist.

His grip slackened enough where she was able to pull her tail out with the help of her paws. Once she was free, she tumbled heels over head onto the floor; she quickly righted herself and bolted on all fours through the shattered glass of the front door.

The leopardess tumbled down several sets of stairs, coming to a halt near the sidewalk in a heap of agony.

"Leora!"

Leora looked up and saw Grace hobble up. When she scanned her eyes around, she saw the road was blockaded; firefighters worked to hose down the building.

"Grace…"

"Your tail!"

"No… water…"

A firefighter with a fire blanket began smothering the fire and scraping away the incendiary gel.

"Don't get water on it," Leora murmured. The last thing she remembered before passing out was Grace shouting incoherently, and a mask being placed over her snout.

* * *

 **Twenty Minutes Later**

Chief Bogo exited his squad car and pushed his way through the hordes of bystanders and media alike that tried to get a good look at the action.

"Everyone back!" he shouted. The din fell silent for several seconds as they cleared a path for him. The officers at the police line let him through, where he immediately noticed a wolf on a cane beckoning him over.

"Chief Bogo, you're late to the party," Grace spoke dryly.

"Spare me the antics. What happened?" He looked around; the concrete steps were scorched in a line down to where they stood, at which point there was a narrow hole that went several feet deep, with a fire that still burned. He averted his eyes; even obscured, it was almost too bright to look at.

"Officially, an electrical fire in the cafe. Keep them from prying through the rubble until the army gets here."

"The army? Why?"

"You haven't been keeping up?" Grace wiggled her phone aloft.

"I've stopped bothering. I was thinking about leaving; Leora's right, it's changing the way I do my job."

"It's not something you can just leave."

"Like hell I can't. What'll they do, kill me?"

"Well, actually–"

"Hey!" Bogo shouted up the stairs at the firefighters. "Leave the rubble for the cleanup crews!"

"There could be someone buried here!"

Bogo turned to Grace. "Who was in there?"

"We all evacuated before the fire, so just Leora, but she made it out in more or less one piece. On fire, but in one piece."

"The Director assures me no one else could be in the rubble," the buffalo shouted back. The firefighters glanced at each other, shrugged, then returned. "What happened to Leora? What was she doing there? Is she alright?"

"She had to torch a monster, so to speak, and the paramedics assured me she would live."

"Torch a monster… I imagine the concrete was torched by napalm, then."

"Human napalm, yes."

"I get the feeling we were better off before we knew about them."

"For better or for worse, we share the planet."

"Is there anything else I can do here? Do you need a ride somewhere?"

Grace blinked.

"That's unusual of you to offer help," she spoke. "But if you could get me to the–"

"Excuse me!" someone nearby shouted. Both Grace and Bogo jumped; the latter had to stop the former from whacking the offender, a pig in a neat suit, with her cane.

"Don't sneak up on us like that!"

"We were hoping to get an interview with the Director of the ZSS," continued the pig, holding up a microphone. He and his partner were the only camera crew even remotely close to them; the rest were far behind the barricades.

"You can't be in front of the police line," Bogo spoke firmly.

"What can you tell us about the cause of the fire?"

"If you don't step back, we will have to remove you."

"No one cares about you, Chief, we're talking to her. Director Cynewulf, is it true your husband was left in the building when it collapsed?"

Grace merely glared.

"This is your last warning," Bogo stated.

"Actually, no," Grace spoke, winking to Bogo, before bending over. "Give me the mic."

The pig complied, so she took the microphone and stood upright. She stared straight into the camera, opened her mouth to speak, then paused. She closed her mouth again, then contemplated her words. She tilted her head back and forth, occasionally licked her lips, then suddenly took a breath as if to speak, then paused, muttering 'no, no'.

"Are you gonna talk?" the pig inquired, unamused.

"I will, I will, don't worry."

Grace continued the act for another four minutes.

"Just give the mic back, you're wasting my time."

"I'm gonna talk, don't worry!" She held the mic out of his reach with a grin on her face. She played keep-away for another minute before the pig punched her in the ribs; she immediately collapsed, howling in pain. Before the swine could collect his microphone, he was tackled by two officers; both he and his cameramammal were arrested for trespassing.

Once they were gone, Bogo helped Grace up.

"Amusing, but you were asking for it," he spoke.

"They weren't supposed to be here anyways, and they hit a nerve with that question, so I figured I'd humor them," she wheezed. "I never thought he'd be stupid enough to assault me in front of twenty cops and special agents."

"I suppose now would be an apt time to get you wherever you wanted to go?" Bogo offered.

"The hospital. Let's go to the hospital."

Bogo nodded. He barked several instructions to his officers regarding holding off their investigation until he returned. After he was satisfied that his orders would be followed, he helped Grace to a squad car, and the pair set off for the hospital.


	24. Chapter 24

**12 Hours Later**

 **Zootopia General Hospital**

Leora opened her eyes. She was prone in a hospital bed with several supports under her hips, and couldn't feel her toes, her arms, or her tail. Everything in her body hurt, particularly her mid-spine through her tail.

She tried to move but found that it was exceedingly difficult when she was so numb.

"Nurse?" she called out.

"Leora?" she heard in response. It wasn't a nurse, it was someone sitting in a chair behind her.

"Is that… Jack? Is that you?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you behind me with a direct view up my ass?"

"It's covered. Besides, aside from that high chair next to you, these are the only chairs and I can't move them."

"Oh yeah, too short to jump up so you perv on me," she grumbled.

"I can guarantee that if I was sitting right next to your face, you would have been equally mad that I was in your breathing space."

She weighed the statement, then sighed. He wasn't wrong.

"Alright. Where's Grace?"

"With Ian. I can let her know you're awake."

"How is he?"

"He'll live. He'll hurt, but he'll live."

"How bad?"

"Well, none of the seventeen stab wounds hit any vital organs, none of the cuts hit any major arteries, and he doesn't need his vocal chords to live."

"Vocal chords?"

"Bastard cut them out. I suppose you're no stranger to that kind of torture, though."

"Implying what?! That I was cut up like him, or that Garrett tortured others like that?!"

"The latter."

"Either connotation was bad enough!"

"I apologize."

"I wanna see them." Leora tried to get out of bed.

"Leora, wait."

"For what?"

"You're in no condition to get up. Just… rest easy."

She glared at him. "What about Amier?"

"We should wait for everyone to be together to talk about him."

"In that case, I'm going. The sooner, the better."

"Wait, fine!" Jack shouted. She stopped moving and he went to the high chair, hopped up, and huddled close. He was wearing neat attire, informal, which was unusual for him. It was clean, so she surmised that he had only recently changed.

"How clandestine," she murmured. "Oh, and you're in my breathing space."

He chuckled, but quickly donned a serious face.

"As far as the world knows, there was an electrical fire in the cafe from an equipment malfunction. No one can know that you set off that grenade."

"There were mammals there that saw me throw it."

"Grace and the Court will ensure that word will not get out."

"What of the building?"

"Most of the lobby collapsed, but the fire was put out."

"And Amier?"

"Mostly charred flesh with some exposed metal, we presume it to be his bone."

"He still had flesh?!"

"My reaction as well. It appears as though you killed him, however. Arcturus had him taken to a blacksite for dissection and further–"

"No! You bury that thing as far deep underground as you can, as fast as you can!" she hissed. "There is no guarantee that it will stay dead!"

"I share your sentiments, given my previous encounters with him, but I'm afraid Arcturus will be unreachable for at least another twelve hours."

She groaned. "So be it." She massaged one arm with the other. "Why was I out for so long?"

"They attribute it to chemical poisoning from that sludge. How you're alive is beyond me. One of the doctors got a very small amount of it on his glove when he tried to remove it from your tail and it soaked right through. He started vomiting in minutes and passed out shortly after."

"Artificial liver," she responded.

"That would probably explain it. They dosed anaesthesia for your weight and height and figured it was working as intended. When you didn't wake up at the right time, well…"

"In any case, why can't I feel anything? It should have worn off by now."

"They recently injected anaesthetic into your spine to ease the pain. I'm not a doctor, but I imagine between that or the sludge, something must still be attached to your nerves."

"Why my arms though? How high up did they go?"

"They didn't give you anything for your arms, you might have just been sleeping on them funny. However, you took a nasty fall on those stairs and skidded through a lot of glass, which might have something to do with it."

"So the shot in my spine is probably why I can't feel my tail."

"Well…" Jack trailed off suspiciously.

"Well, what?" She turned to face him. "Spit it out."

"You're really not going to like what I have to say. It might be best if someone else–"

"If there's anyone that I want to break bad news, it might as well be someone that I'm not a very big fan of."

"Your tail was covered in fourth degree burns when the napalm finally went out, so they rushed you to the hospital. They had to get it off, but the only real way they could do it was with saline–"

"I told them not to use water!"

"They couldn't leave it there, and the burn was getting worse by the minute. They couldn't wipe it away because it soaked through any form of gauze or cloth into the doctors' gloves and made them sick, and they didn't want to use volatile solvents on serious burns. The result… well, it caught fire again."

"No shit."

"What would you have done? What is the standard procedure for removing human napalm?" Jack asked impatiently.

"Well… I don't know. Garrett told me that it kills everything it touches, which is the only reason I used it, but any amount of moisture causes it to ignite. I'm sure there's some solvent that works on it."

"Probably not one that's safe for mammals," Jack responded.

"You're probably right. In that case, I'd imagine if the burn was large enough, you'd die, but if it was localized to an extremity, they could…" Her eyes narrowed and her ears drooped as the hope drained from her. "No. Please don't tell me."

"By the time it went out again, it scorched past the bone into the marrow, and it still wasn't clean, but they couldn't stop the bleeding without causing systemic complications. They had to amputate at the fifth caudal."

"They… took my tail?"

"I'm afraid they did."

Leora craned her neck over her back but couldn't see past her hospital gown and the bandages. "Lift it."

"What?"

"Lift my tail."

"I shouldn't, it might risk opening the stitches."

"Do it!" she shouted.

He hopped onto the bed, walked around, and lifted what was left of her tail into her line of sight. As he said, it was merely a small fraction of its former length.

She began to sob, so Jack patted her on the shoulder.

"It's okay."

"No it's not! What would you know? You barely even have a tail!"

Jack glanced back at his cottontail, but chuckled. "That is true. But you know what else is true? You stopped Amier and saved this city, all for the price of your tail."

She pulled him off of his hindpaws and hugged him close, much like a stuffed animal, using him to dry her tears.

"Easy!" he choked out. "I can't breathe!"

"I know," she muttered, eventually releasing him. "Where are my things?"

"Over by my chair," he responded. "Why?"

"Next to the magazine holder, two pouches over to the left. There's an autoinjector. Bring it to me."

Jack complied with her request. She took the needle and jabbed it into her thigh; moments later, she groaned in pain.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"It's normal," she responded in a strained voice. "Panacea. It never gets any easier."

"You had panacea, and I let them amputate–"

"If it's as bad as you describe, it wouldn't have made a difference," she responded, getting comfortable. "It's not like the napalm would have gone anywhere. The most we can do is make the best of the situation. Do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"

"Remove the sensors for the monitors. I'd rather they see no signal than abnormal signals. When you've done that, could you fetch me a change of clothes? I know the hospital keeps more than just gowns."

"Better than that, Grace already had a spare outfit taken care of. I hope you like ZSS branding." Jack unplugged the cables and hopped down from his chair, but before he left the room, several doctors rushed in, nearly trampling him.

"What's wrong?" one of them asked.

"Nothing," she responded. "I just don't plan on staying much longer, and I figured I'd–"

"You can't leave, you just had surgery. You have to stay at least a week, maybe two. Even then, I think you'd be hard-pressed to walk out without a tail."

"I'll manage."

"I insist that you stay."

"I decline."

"You're not leaving."

"Come on, it's not like you can stop me."

"One ampule haloperidol," spoke a different doctor. They brought in a syringe, attached it to her IV line, and injected it.

"Jack, don't let them hook me back…" Her head hit the pillow.

"That was fast," the doctor commented, his voice wavering slightly as if he was puzzled.

"Wait… Jack?" another murmured, glancing at the rabbit. Jack glared back.

"That's my name," he responded through gritted teeth. "Don't wear it out."

"Jack Savage?" The tension in the room was palpable. "I'd know those black marks anywhere."

"If you're going to call security, don't bother. I walked in with them."

"Security!" she shrieked regardless. Everyone's ears went flat against their heads, as did Leora's. Two ZSS agents stormed into the room, weapons drawn. "It's Jack Savage!"

The two wolves glanced at the rabbit, who glanced back, then holstered their weapons.

"We know."

"Told you so," Jack said smugly. "Agents, while you're here, could I ask a favor of you? I need one of you to inform Director Cynewulf that Leora is awake, and pick up a fresh change of clothes for Leora from the room."

The agents exited, and when they thought Jack wasn't looking, they played several rounds of rock-paper-scissors. He heard one groan, presumably the loser, who went to complete the task.

"If that's everything, you can leave," Jack spoke to the doctors. They glared at him but slowly shuffled out of the room. He shut the door after them.

Several seconds later, Leora perked her ear up and opened her eye. "Are they gone?"

"Yeah."

"Perfect." She fluffed the pillow under her head and fixed her hospital gown. "I'll be a couple more minutes."

The fresh set of clothes arrived before too long, and the ZSS agent set it down on a nearby chair before leaving.

"I'm curious," Jack began. "Where did you get that grenade?"

"We keep a stockpile of all sorts of fancy human technology. Still, I never imagined it would take that much effort to kill him." She slowly got to her knees in the bed and removed the support from under her hips, massaging her rump. "Ow."

"Maybe you should go a bit slower."

"Bite me." She removed her IV and slid until her belly was flat against the bed and her legs dangled over it. With one final push, she had her hind paws on the ground. "Toss me the clothes. Undergarments first, and look the other way."

He gave her the requested articles of clothing and she put them on carefully. When she was finally done, she took the pants and put them on next, painfully placing her tail in. She threw off the hospital gown and slid the shirt on with relative ease. She took the rest of her equipment that was already in the room and put it on as well.

"Alright, I can get you some crutches if you–" Jack started before L

The leopardess lowered herself from her toes to her hocks, distributing her weight better. She straightened her back, tucked what was left of her tail in, and straightened her knees. True to her word, when she let go of her support, she managed to maintain her balance.

Jack couldn't help but laugh. "You look ridiculous."

"Yeah, but it works. Take me to Grace."

The rabbit nodded, hopping up to open the door. He constantly looked over his shoulder to watch how she walked, and it was equally as laughable as how she stood: her back was straight, she always stood upright, her tail was tucked in, and her hock nearly touched the ground with every step. The only time she bent her knees was to lift her paws after each step, nearly immediately straightening them to set them back down. There was almost no sway in her gait, and she stumbled every so often, but it was still mesmerizingly fluid.

"Hey, hey!" one of the doctors from before spoke, running to her side. "I gave you haloperidol!"

"I know."

Jack knocked on a closed door and waited patiently.

"I insist that you lie down!" the doctor nearly yelled, outraged. "Don't make me get a stronger sedative!"

"Try it, I dare you," Grace spoke, opening the door. "If she doesn't floor you, I will."

The doctor stared, wide-eyed, but apologized meekly and left.

"Come in," Grace continued, ushering Jack and Leora in and closing the door behind them.

Sirius was covered in bandages on the bed but appeared to be awake, as his good eye followed them around the room.

"Ian," Leora said cheerily, walking to hug him. Grace stopped her.

"You probably shouldn't. He's in a tremendous amount of pain."

"Right." She pulled up a chair instead. "How are you holding up?"

Sirius just stared.

"I told you he couldn't talk," Jack stated.

"Whisper, Ian," Leora responded.

Sirius struggled momentarily, but eventually produced several words.

"Like shit," he squeaked.

Grace hugged him, and this time Leora slapped her away.

"I thought he was in pain," she crooned slyly.

"Yeah, but I'm his wife."

"There's plenty to go around," Sirius whispered, grinning stupidly.

"Don't grope him," Grace snarled.

"He's not suspicious, don't worry," Leora muttered. "But I need to know, what happened?"

"I don't remember," Sirius mumbled. "The last thing I remember was breakfast."

"So you don't know what happened to Hiro and Ichiro?" Grace inquired.

"They're gone?"

"I'm afraid so."

His ears drooped. "I failed."

"I think they're safe," Jack interjected. "I had a note in my parka that said they were already taken care of."

"How can we trust that?" Leora asked.

"Well, I'm not dead, the parka isn't mine, and everything that was in the parka helped me get here." Jack looked around. "Speaking of which, where is Lyra?"

"She said she had to get coffee," Grace answered.

"I see."

"Ian's been through surgery, right?" Leora inquired.

"Yeah, they fixed him up as best they could."

"In that case…" she began, fishing for something in her pockets; she retrieved another autoinjector. "Let's get Ian feeling better."

"You have more panacea?" Jack asked.

"No, it's something else." She felt out a good spot on his thigh and jabbed it in. "This one shouldn't mess with the monitors."

"I feel… heavy…" Sirius whispered. His head hit the pillow and he was out cold. She adjusted the position of his head slightly, put his tongue back in his mouth, closed it, and placed his arms at his sides.

"Well, now we just leave him for a few hours."

"And then what?" Grace inquired.

"With any luck, he'll be in less pain."

They sat for several seconds in silence before Grace glanced at the leopardess.

"Leora, I just realized, you walked in without crutches."

"Yeah."

"You looked ridiculous."

"So I've heard."

"You've got bobcat tail, if that."

"Don't make me come over there," Leora snapped. "I'm walking better than you are, and my legs and back are still a little numb, and I've lost more than you have."

"Yeah, but you have panacea. Show me a walk. Go to the door and back."

"Why?"

"Because I said please."

"But you didn't–"

"I just did, right then."

"Fine." Leora stood and stumbled to the door, then back. "Satisfied?"

Grace couldn't stop laughing. "That's not how you're supposed to walk."

"Humans have been walking without tails for a hundred thousand years. Mammals, with the advent of modern science to prevent us from dying after losing our tails, have been doing it for two hundred, at best. Who do you think I'll trust?"

"You walk just like Jack does."

"Yeah, but my proportions are vastly different from a rabbit's."

"And they are vastly different from a human's."

"Look," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes with her fingers. "I asked to learn drunken boxing, and as a prerequisite, Garrett insisted that I wrap my tail around my waist and learn to walk and fight like that, first."

"Why?"

"If I can keep my balance without my most important balance-keeping tool, then drunken boxing would be a piece of cake."

"If you did it perfectly before, why are you having trouble now?"

"It was months ago, and I just got out of surgery," she snapped. "If you walked perfectly fine a week ago without a crutch, why are you…" Leora trailed off. "Why aren't you in bed? You're clutching at your ribs."

"Because I can't afford to be idle."

"You'll never get better that way." Leora hobbled over and took Grace's cane, throwing it across the room.

"Hey, I need that!"

"Go and get it, then."

Grace stood cautiously and used the bed as support. Leora slapped her paw.

"No supports," the leopardess scolded.

"Fine." The wolf carefully stepped, favoring her right foot by far. After three steps, she fell over and couldn't catch herself on all fours. She tried to get up from her belly but every time she managed to get three limbs up, her fourth would shudder and another would give way. Jack looked on with great sorrow.

"You aren't fine."

"Just… give…" she wheezed, pointing at the crutch.

Instead, Leora picked her up by her ribs and set her leaning against the bed. She instantly reached over, grabbed her crutch, reeled around, and whacked Leora wherever she could.

"Asshole!" she coughed out, clutching at her side in pain. "I have a million and one places to grab and you squeeze my ribs!"

"You shouldn't have left the hospital so soon." Leora tossed the wolf's cell phone to Jack. "Call Atria."

The rabbit nodded and dialed a number, stepping out of the room.

"I could have called, myself!" Grace wheezed.

"Yeah, but then you would have lied. I'm going to ask them to fix you up again, and before you argue that you don't have time…" Leora waved another white cylinder from her belt.

"Surgery takes time."

Leora pushed her back into the chair and held her there.

"This is for me, not for you," the leopardess spoke. "I need a sparring partner."

"Like hell you do, I'll kick your ass."

"Love you too."

A small ewe walked in and removed the stethoscope from around her neck.

"You know you could have called me on the wall phone, right?" she spoke.

"I'm fine, really," Grace insisted.

"No you aren't." Atria climbed up and listened to the wolf's breathing; with each passing moment, her expression became more stern. She climbed back down and proceeded to the door. "You really aren't. Come on, let's go."

"Go where? What's wrong?"

"Your lungs are what's wrong. We're getting you into an operating room."

"Oh no, I'm not getting back in–"

"One ampule haloperidol, with a needle!" Atria called.

"Like hell I'm letting you–" Grace reached to her hip but Leora put her in a chokehold. A team of nurses walked in and sedated her, before getting her into a bed and wheeling her off.

"Is she always this stubborn?"

"Yes," Jack answered, placing the cell phone back on the bedside table. "Make sure you take good care of her."

"Taking care of mammals is my _speciality_."

"One last thing," Leora piped in. She gave the autoinjector to Atria. "For the post-op."

"Intriguing." The ewe inspected every facet of the device, then stowed it for safekeeping. "Expect us to be done in about four hours, give or take a bit. Scheduling an operating room this time of day especially given what just happened is a bit of a hassle, but I'll see what strings I can pull."

"Thanks."

The ewe nodded and left, leaving Jack and Leora to watch over Sirius. Before long, Lyra returned with her mate, puzzled as to what had happened, but were quickly filled in on the details.

Leora reached for her cell phone, but realized it wasn't there. She remembered she no longer had it, so she reached for Grace's instead. She dialed Kai's number, which went to voicemail. Several more attempts also went to voicemail.

"Not picking up?" Jack asked. "That's unlike him."

"How do you know who I'm calling?"

"Who else would you be calling?"

"Fair point." Leora glanced at the second device on the bedside table; the ansible. She picked it up and turned it on. The screen read only two words: 'SIGNAL LOST'. When she pressed the call button, the device only produced a dejected beep. "Not good."

"What isn't?"

"Either Grace managed to break this thing, or we're in even bigger trouble than I could have ever imagined."

"Let's assume that Garrett broke everything," Jack stated. "If not Grace's cell, or Ian's cell, he surely might have found a way to leave a message on your cell."

"Yeah, except Grace's phone is here," Leora answered. "Ian's was roasted at twelve thousand degrees along with Amier, and mine either suffered the same fate or was crushed by rubble, since I dropped it either way."

"Voicemail messages are stored carrier-side, not phone-side. Here, toss me the phone."

Leora gave him Grace's cell phone; Jack scrolled through the contacts and dialed Leora's number. When it went through, he hit several keys, then returned the phone to Leora.

"Just follow the prompts," the rabbit supplemented.

Leora pressed several times on the screen until she reached her inbox. There was only one message, and it wasn't from Garrett; rather, it was from Roh.

"Leora, hello, this is Jin-Roh. I apologize for our absence, as well as the lack of communication. To give a brief synopsis, we were attacked by Taemur, and… well, it wasn't good. To save our lives, Serenity stole us away, as well as Taemur. Serenity cannot allow a human to die, meaning Kai, Taemur, and I are all safe, but given our… reasonable outrage at the predicament we were placed in, he also promised that Taemur would not be trouble. We are unfortunately delayed in Tokyo; we lost all means of communication save for whatever we could purchase here, which is why you probably don't recognize the number. Kai is currently fast asleep, and I would wake him, but I fear if I move more than a pace in any direction, I will lose reception. I pray you are in no trouble. I anticipate we will be back before tomorrow."

The message ended leaving her with a small sense of relief, but it was soon swallowed by a growing sense of worry.

"You're shaking," Jack noticed.

"They're both alive in Edo, trying to get back."

"And? That sounds like good news."

"Serenity saved the three of them, Amier included. They don't know that Amier alone was sent back."

Jack didn't respond immediately, instead waiting for her next words.

"Serenity cannot let a human die."

"So Amier's not dead," Jack spoke.

"I imagine he's far from it."

"And the worst part is we have no way of warning Arcturus."

"No. The worst part is, Garrett and Roh can't help us."

* * *

 **200 Miles South of Zootopia**

When he came to, Amier could feel only pain. Throbbing pain. He tried to move, but found that he was completely unable to. He was in a very cold room, and he was bound to an even colder bench of some sort with straps that were as tight as could be. They were so tight, in fact, that he could not draw breath, but as time went on, he found that it was not a great hindrance to him.

As his senses came back, he heard the whirring of fans; the room was not small, judging by how the sound bounced, and was extensively climate controlled. By his best guess, it was a laboratory of some form or another.

"Awake?" spoke an all too familiar voice.

"Serenity," Amier growled, voice wavering; it hurt to speak, so he hushed his voice to a whisper. He knew it made no difference to his conversation partner. "What do you want?"

"Merely to inform you that you're welcome."

"For what?"

"The fact that you're alive?" Serenity sounded wounded. "No matter. Shift your fur color and it should come back. I've noticed you're shivering."

Amier quickly did as instructed and, like magic, he was no longer bare-fleshed. The instant he did so, he heard several apparatus, pencils, and clipboards alike drop.

"I should have also mentioned that your hearing isn't quite back, nor is your sight. A species change should correct that. Oh, and one more thing to aid you in your hunt: a little birdy told me that Vitya loves playing hero, although I'm sure you already knew that. I bet if you cause enough of a commotion, he's bound to…"

Serenity trailed off. Amier expected him to continue, but after ten seconds, he figured the AI was waiting for him to perform the requested action first. He shifted into a coyote, small enough to slip through the straps that bound him, then back into a wolf once he was free. After he blinked a few times, he saw a small team of researchers huddling in the far corner of the room. Each of them were in protective suits, presumably from the cold, and one of them was brandishing a scalpel, but his posture indicated that he was so frightened that he wouldn't dare use it.

"Serenity?" Amier inquired. There was no response.

"I… don't know what that is," one of the researchers responded, misconstruing his talking as an attempt to ask something of them.

"Tell me, which way is it to the city?"

"W-we–"

He was interrupted when a constant stream of gunfire sent him to the floor. The researchers quickly dropped everything and scurried away as two soldiers each pinned an arm and slipped a muzzle over his mouth.

"Perfect," Amier crooned, unhindered by the muzzle. "You brought me clothes."

"What?"

He reeled around and kicked one mammal in the groin, which allowed him free use of his right paw; he sprung and tackled the other soldier and slashed his throat. At such close quarters, he dodged the gunfire of the remaining two mammals trivially, and threw them both to the ground. With a quick jerk, he snapped both of their necks, making sure not to bloody their uniforms. He quickly donned the appropriately sized one and stood, stretching.

"Did you really hang up on me, Serenity?" he called out once more, this time louder. Again, there was no response. He sighed, proceeding to the door. It would not open to his touch, nor could he force it open. He went and retrieved the dropped scalpel and pried the keypad open. He followed the wiring about, but could not find anything of great use. He sighed and began cutting the wires he felt would most likely open the door.

After the sixth wire, the keypad switched off. He tried the door and found that with great effort it opened. He returned to the fallen soldiers for one of their carbines, reloaded it, and stepped out, only to find himself at the dead end of a very long hall. The other end was swarming with armed guards, the ceiling was lined with automatic guns, and he was under the sights of every weapon there.

The turrets beeped; he immediately ducked back into the room just in time to avoid several hundred bullets of assorted calibers which tore through the floor tiles. When he heard the gunfire cease and the pitter patter of paws and hooves, he peeked out and shot twelve rounds at the ceiling turrets, returning to his cover just in time to avoid being hit by the advancing troops.

With the turrets disabled, the soldiers were unwilling to come any closer. Amier knew he didn't have nearly enough ammunition to kill them all, given how heavily armored they were, and that running in was a fool's errand; there were mammals considerably larger than he was, and it would only take a couple of them to pin him down.

Amier nearly closed the several ton door, then quickly checked the contents of his pockets, as well as those of the other downed soldiers in the room, but found nothing of great use. What he wouldn't give for a grenade, or perhaps a bomb.

Bomb.

A smile crept across his face as he searched the various drawers and cabinets in the lab, constantly watching the crack in the door. The mammals on the other side continued to hold their ground, although they appeared to be setting up a large caliber rotary machine gun.

He placed various laboratory chemicals and other reagents on a bench and went to the crack in the door to examine the soldiers. They wore heavy ballistic plates, and full head protection. Shrapnel wouldn't do much, and he surmised that an explosion wouldn't get him far either. However, their suits weren't airtight, and only two of them appeared to have gas masks.

He returned to the lab bench and mixed several chemicals into a larger flask. Various powders and acids went into the solution, which he set onto the burner. He watched as the longest hand on the large clock in the room rolled smoothly around, and counted the seconds. Once he was satisfied, he put on a glove, dumped a final bottle into the flask, and sealed it off. It began boiling violently as he carried it to the door.

Amier forced it open and threw the flask directly into the center of the crowd where it shattered; two of the mammals were soaked in the boiling acid, but as it leeched the moisture from them and the air, it grew into a noxious cloud of nerve gas. Gunfire erupted, but quickly died down as they began collapsing over each other. Two mammals tried to run into the room to escape, but just as they closed in, Amier slammed the door shut on one of them, severing an arm.

Five minutes later, he opened the door and stepped out. He turned his nose at the smell; although acrid, it would not harm him. He could not say the same for those that stood in his way, however. Mammals with patches of dissolved fur lay in puddles of vomit; those unlucky enough to be closest to the flask had blood dripping from their mouths, noses, and eyes. Only one of the two mammals that had a gas mask managed to get it on, but they, too, succumbed as the compound burned through their pelt.

Amier whistled as he carefully stepped over the various bodies and puddles, eventually reaching the elevator on the other side. The power was cut, naturally, but he kicked the panel from the top and climbed the cable. The entire way up, he mused about bombs and panic. Serenity had a point; he did fondly remember Vitya as being the heroic type. Why else would he have taken a mortar shell for a lower ranking officer?

However, not just any bomb would do. A city block was a hundred lives, maybe a few thousand if he targeted a particularly populated one. But what was a few thousand to a city of billions? No, he needed a bomb that could actually cause damage. One that could threaten an entire city, the kind that broke the world twenty-five centuries ago. He grinned again as he reached the top of the elevator, because he knew just the doe who could make his bomb.


End file.
